GIFT   OF 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY 
OF  ADVERTISING 

A  Simple  Exposition  of 

The  Principles  of  Psychology 

In   Their  Relation   to 

Successful  Advertising 

By    WALTER    DILL     SCOTT,   Ph.D. 

Director  of  the  Psychological  Laboratory  of  Northwestern  Uni"versit\ 
Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Salesmanship  Research,  Carnegie 

Institute  of  Technology 

President  of  the  National  Association  of  Advertising  Teachers 
Author  of  "The  Theory  and  Practice  of  Advertising^  l(The  Psychology  of 

Public  Speaking^' 

'•'•Die  Psychologic  der  Triebe^  "Increasing  Human  Efficiency  in  Business," 
" Influencing  Men  in  Business,"  etc.    ^r 

NEW  EDITION,  WITH  ADDITIONS  AND  A  COMPLETE  INDEX 


Boston 

Small,   Maynard  &  Company 
1917 


<< 


Copyright  1908,  IQIO,  by 
Smatt,    Maynard  &    Company 

{Incorporated} 
Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall 


Eighth  edition,  December,  1916 


PRESSWORK  BY  THE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS,  CAMBRIDGE,  U.  S.  A 


•     •  •     •  »••  .••••*  * 

•*.:  j*  i  ••••••  ••  •• 


THE  AUTHOR  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATES  THIS  VOLUME  TO 
THAT  INCREASING  NUMBER  OF  AMERICAN  BUSINESS 
MEN  WHO  SUCCESSFULLY  APPLY  SCIENCE  WHERE  THEIR 
PREDECESSORS  WERE  CONFINED  TO  CUSTOM. 


404130 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

^1.     Introduction I  -^ 

II.     Memory  :    Remembering  and  Forgetting    ....       7    * 

III.  Th°_F±£linc5  rind  thp  ^™itlV>"c 22 

IV.  Appeals  to  the  Customer's  Sympathy 38 

Human_Instincts 52 

r^VI.     Suggestion 80 

""VII.     The  Will:  An  Analysis 93 

"•VIII,    The  Will :  Variety  in  Action 

IX.    Habit 126 

X.    The  Habit  of  Reading  Advertisements 134 

XI.     The  Laws pf  Progressive  Thinking 147   r 

Attention  Value  of  Small  and  of  Large  Spaces     .      .157 

XIII.  Mortality  Rate  of  Advertising 178 

XIV.  The  Psychology  of  JEood  Advertising 188  */ 

XV.     The  Unconscious  Influence  in  Street  Railway  Adver- 
tising  215    jX 

(XVI.     The  Questionnaire  Method  Illustrated  by  an  Investi- 
gation upon  Newspapers 226 

XVII.     Bibliography  of  Advertising 249 

Index  .     .  273 


LIST     OF     ILLUSTRATIONS 


Vitalized    Phosphates 12 

Cream    of    Wheat ...        13,     71 

Pompeian   Massage   Cream     .      .  .  ...     15 

Gold   Dust      ...  ....  .     .     16 

Rat  Exterminator .      .      .      .     17 

Buster  Brown  Stocking  Co.   .      .  .  .19 

Bisected    Lines    .      .  27 

Square  and  Rectangle  .  .      .  .  31 

Butler   Paper  Co.     ...  .  .      .  .      .'    35 

Thomas  Cook  &  Son .  ...     40 

Santa  Fe  Railroad  ...  .  .      .      .     41 

Hall  Chemical  Co 42 

Howard  Obesity  Ointment  .  .     44 

Dr.  Bull's   Cough  Syrup    .  .      .  46 

Conklin's    Self-Filling    Pen    .....  .      .  48 

Pelman  System  of  Memory  Training   ....  .49 

Karo  Corn   Syrup ,  .  58 

American  Reserve  Bond  Co.  ,  .  ,     65 

Stevens  Rifles     .  .  .      .  ,66 

Golden  Fleece  Yarns   .  .  ....  .     68 

Gage  Millinery .  73 

Regal  Shoes  .........  ....     74 

White  Star  Coffee 75,  209,  210 

"What  Did  the  Woggle  Bug  Say?" 79 

Jap-a-Lac .  86,  100 

Lucas  Gloss  Paint  .  ...  .     88 

Westerner's        ...  .  .  .88 

Kerr's    Studios ...     89 

Postum  Cereal  Co *    .  ...  89,  125 

Arrow   Collars    .  .      .  .     .     .  90 

Calox    .     .     .     . 90 

Hand  Sapolio  .  .     ,     .  .  ...  91 

Triscuit      ...  ......  ,      .     .      .  .     98 

Holbrook's  Sauce 90 


LIST     OF     ILLUSTRATIONS 

National  Biscuit  Co.     ..........   102,  196,  197 

Modern  Eloquence „ 112 

Pear's  Soap .      .      113,  173 

Cook's  Flaked  Rice 115 

Ivory    Soap •     .      .  .    12,3,  172,  193 

American  Radiator  Co .   124 

J.  G.  Wilson  Co .140 

American  Lead   Pencil  Co .  .   141 

Advertising  Taught  by  Mail 142 

Wanted  —  Good  Neighbors    . 143 

Report  of  a  Pupil .     .   164 

Packer's  Tar  Soap •     .      .  .165 

New  York  Central  Railroad  .......  .174 

American  Waltham  Watch  Co .  .     .   175 

Chickering  Piano     .........  .   194 

Franklin  Mills  Co.  , -  201 

Egg-O-See 202 

Leibig  Company       .  206 

Armour  &  Co. 207,  208 

Korn-Krisp •  211 

Advertisements  Ruined  by  Make-up  of  Paper 213 

An  Optical  Illusion     .......»*..••     •  2l6 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  ADVERTISING 


I 

INTRODUCTION 


THE  typical  business  man  is  an  optimist.  For  him 
the  future  is  full  of  possibilities  that  never  have  been 
realized  in  the  past.  He  is  not,  however,  a  day-  / 
dreamer,  but  one  who  uses  his  imagination  in  form- 
ulating purposes  which  lead  to  immediate  action.  His 
power  of  execution  often  surpasses  that  of  his  imag- 
ination, and  he  is  frequently  surprised  to  see  his  vision 
realized  in  less  time  than  he  had  even  dared  to  hope. 

The  advertiser  may  well  be  regarded  as  typical  of 
the  class  of  American  business  men.  At  a  time  when 
advertisements  were  poorly  constructed  and  given  lim- 
ited circulation,  certain  enterprising  men  saw  the  pos- 
sibilities of  advertising  and  began  systematically  to 
improve  the  whole  profession  of 'advertising^  /Artists 
were  employed  to  construct  appropriate  illustrations, 
and  skilled  typographers  vied  with  each  other  in  set- 
ting up  the  text  in  the  most  artistic  and  legible  man- 
ner possible.  Business  system  was  used  in  ascertain- 
ing the  amount  of  circulation  of  various  publications 
as  well  as  the  kind  of  circulation.  Advertisements 
were  keyed,  and  other  means  were  employed  to  dis- 
cover the  exact  value  of  each  style  of  advertisements 
and  of  each  medium  in  which  advertisements  were  in- 
serted. ^T 

These  improvements  nave  been  as  beneficial  as  the 
most  sanguine  could  have  hoped  for,  but  in  and  of 

I 


OF    ADVERTISING 


themselves  they  were  not  sufficient  to  place  advertis- 
i  ing  upon  a  scientific  basis.  Advertising  has  a§Jts  o«e- 
frfunction  the  influencing  of  human  minds.  Unless  it 
does  this  it  is  useless  and  destructive  to  the  firms  at- 
tempting it.  As  it  is  the  human  mind  that  advertis- 
ing is  dealing  with,  its  only  scientific  basis  is  psychol- 
ogy, which  is  simply  a  systematic  study  of  those  same 
minds  which  the  advertiser  is  seeking  to  influence. 
This  fact  was  seen  by  wise  advertisers  and  such  con- 
ceptions began  to  appear  in  print  and  to  be  heard  in 
conventions  of  advertising  men  some  ten  years  ago. 
Occasionally  one  who  was  especially  optimistic  proph- 
esied that  at  some  time  —  perhaps  in  the  distant  fu- 
ture —  advertisers  would  turn  to  psychology  for 
^guidance.  One  such  prophecy  appeared  in  Printers' 
Ink  for  October,  1895:  "Probably,  when  we  are  a 
little  more  enlightened,  the  advertisement  writer,  like 
the  teacher,  will  study  psychology.  For,  however  di- 
verse their  occupation  may  at  first  sight  appear,  the 
advertising  writer  and  the  teacher  have  one  great 
object  in  common  —  to  influence  the  human  mind." 

Printers'  Ink  seemed  to  assume  that  it  would  be 
many  years  before  we  were  "  more  enlightened,"  and 
hence  did  not  look  to  see  advertisers  actually  turning 
to  psychology  in  the  immediate  future.  In  Publicity, 
for  March,  1901,  we  have  a  more  hopeful  prophet, 
and  although  each  expects  to  see  advertising  estab- 
lished on  psychological  principles,  the  author  in  Pub- 
licity hopes  to  see  that  day  in  the  near  future  :  k>  The 
0  time  is  not  far  away  when  the  advertising  writer  will 

2 


INTRODUCTION 


find  the  inestimable  value  of  a  knowledge  of  psychol- 
ogy-" 

Previous  to  the  appearance  of  this  article  (March, 

1901)  there  had  been  no  attempt  to  present  psychol- 
ogy to  the  business  world  in  a  usable  form.  As  far 
as  the  advertiser  could  see  all  psychologies  were  writ- 
ten with  a  purely  theoretical  end  in  view.  They  con-* 
tained  a  vast  amount  of  technieaT  material  devoid  of 
interest  to  the  layman  who  struggled  through  the 
pages.  This  condition  made  it  quite  difficult  for  the 
business  man  to  extract  that  part  of  the  subject  which 
was  of  value  to  him. 

Several  of  the  leading  advertising  magazines  and 
advertising  agencies  sought  to  father  a  movement 
which  would  result  in  such  a  presentation  of  the  subject 
of  psychology  that  it  would  be  of  use  to  the  intelligent 
and  practical  advertiser.  These  efforts  on  the  part  of 
the  advertisers  were  successful  in  stimulating  several 
professional  psychologists  to  attempt  such  a  presenta- 
tion. Psychological  laboratories  were  fitted  up  to  make 
various  tests  upon  advertisements.  Elaborate  investi- 
gations were  undertaken  and  carried  through  to  a  suc- 
cessful issue.  Psychologists  turned  to  the  study  of 
advertising  in  all  its  phases  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
intelligent  and  successful  advertisers  began  to  devote 
attention  to  a  systematic  study  of  psychology.  Inves- 
tigators in  the  various  parts  of  the  country  and  among 
different  classes  of  society  united  in  their  efforts  to 
solve  some  of  the  knotty  problems  which  are  ever  be- 
fore the  business  man  who  desires  publicity  for  his 

3 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

commodity.  Soon  addresses  were  made  before  ad- 
vertising clubs  upon  the  specific  topic  of  the  psychol- 
ogy of  advertising.  The  leading  advertising  jour- 
nals in  America  and  Europe  sought  and  published  ar- 
ticles on  the  subject.  Several  of  the  recent  books  on 
advertising  and  general  business  promotion  deal  more 
or  less  extensively  with  the  subject.- 

As  a  result  of  all  these  various  efforts  more  has  ac- 
tually been  accomplished  during  the  last  five  years 
than  the  typical  optimist  even  imagined.  Just  as  the 
manufacturing  world  has  been  compelled  to  turn  its 
attention  to  physics  and  chemistry,  and  as  the  manu- 
facturer's vocabulary  is  composed  of  many  terms 
which  were  but  recently  technical  terms  used  only  by 
scientists,  so  the  advertising  world  has  turned  its  at- 
tention to  the  subject  of  psychology,  and  many  words 
formerly  used  only  by  professional  psychologists  are 
to-day  commonplaces  with  advertisers. 

The  changed  attitude  of  the  advertising  world  can 
be  judged  by  reference  to  current  advertising  liter- 
ature. In  a  recent  issue  of  Printers'  Ink  (July  24, 
1907),  one  article  has  this  significant  heading, 
"PSYCHOLOGICAL."  Another  article  by  a  lead- 
ing advertiser  contains  the  following  sentences. 
"Scientific  advertising  follows  the  laws  of  psychology. 
The  successful  advertiser,  either  personally  or  through 
his  advertising  department,  must  carefully  study  psy- 
chology. He  must  understand  how  the  human  mind 
acts.  He  must  know  what  repels  and  what  attracts. 
He  must  know  what  will  create  an  interest  and  what 

4 


INTRODUCTION 


will  fall  flat.  .  .  .  He  must  be  a  student  of  hu- 
man nature,  and  he  must  know  the  laws  of  the  human 
mind."  Although  italics  were  not  used  in  the  orig- 
inal, the  word  "  must  "  is  here  put  in  italics  to  draw 
attention  to  the  actual  emphasis  used  by  the  author. 
In  articles  appearing  on  the  subject  before  the  last  few 
years,  all  persons  had  spoken  of  the  study  of  psychol-  ' 
ogy  as  something  which  might  be  brought  about  in 
the  future.  At  the  present  time  the  writers  are  as- 
serting that  the  successful  advertiser  must  study  psy- 
chology and  that  he  must  do  it  at  once. 

Although  the  attitude  of  the  advertising  world 
changed  and  even  though  much  has  been  done  to  pre- 
sent psychology  in  a  helpful  form  to  the  advertisers, 
the  work  of  the  psychologist  is  not  yet  available  to  the 
business  world  because  the  material  has  not  been  pre- 
sented in  any  one  accessible  place.  Contributions  are 
scattered  through  the  files  of  a  score  of  American  and 
European  publications.  Some  articles  appearing  un- 
der this  head  are  of  minor  significance,  while  others 
are  so  important  that  they  should  be  collected  in  a 
place  and  form  such  that  they  would  be  available  to 
the  largest  possible  number  of  readers.  The  psychol- 
ogy of  advertising  has  reached  a  stage  in  its  devel- 
opment where  all  that  has  thus  far  been  accomplished 
should  be  reconsidered.  The  worthless  should  be  dis- 
carded and  the  valuable  brought  out  into  due  prom- 
inence in  systematic  arrangement.  In  view  of  this 
condition  of  affairs  the  author  has  assumed  the  pleas- 
ing task  of  systematizing  the  subject  of  the  psychol- 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 


ogy  of  advertising  and  of  presenting  it  in  such  a  form 
that  it  will  be  tff  distinct  practical  value  to  all  who 
are  interested  in  business  promotion. 

Incidentally  it  is  hoped  that  the  present  volume 
will  be  welcomed  by  many  who  have  no  especial  inter- 
est in  business  promotion.  The  professional  psychol- 
ogist will  be  interested  in  the  contribution  made  to 
his  science  from  a  study  of  mind  in  a  particular  field 
of  activity.  The  general  reader  will  derive  benefit 
from  the  reading  of  the  book;  for  he  will  be  able  to 
grasp  some  of  the  most  fundamental  psychological 
principles  because  they  are  here  presented  in  concrete 
and  comprehensible  form. 


II 

MEMORY 


IMPRESSIONS  once  received  leave  traces  of 
selves,  so  that,  in  imagination,  we  can  live  over 
the  same  experiences  and  can  recognize  them  as  re- 
lated to  our  past.  This  knowledge  of  former  impres- 
>iuns,  or  states  of  mind,  which  have  already  once 
dropped  from  consciousness,  is  what  is  known  as  mem- 
ory. 

I  can  imagine  how  the  jungles  of  Africa  must  look. 
This  is  an  act  of  productive  imagination.  Yester- 
day I  was  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  avenue  and  Lake 
street  in  Chicago.  I  heard  the  shouts  of  teamsters. 
the  rattle  of  passing  vehicles,  and  the  roar  of  elevat- 
ed trains;  I  saw  the  people,  the  wagons,  and  the  cars. 
To-day  I  can,  in  imagination,  live  over  the  same  ex- 
perience, and  as  I  do  so  I  recognize  the  experience 
as  belonging  to  my  past.  I  am  therefore  remember- 
ing my  past  experience. 

As  I  try  to  recall  the  street  scene  of  yesterday  I  find 
that  many  of  the  details  have  escaped  me.  I  can- 
not remember  how  the  teamsters  looked  nor  what  sort 
of  cries  they  were  uttering.  I  remember  that  there 
were  teamsters  and  that  they  were  shouting  at  their 
horses,  but  I  cannot,  in  my  imagination,  see  their 
faces  or  hear  their  voices  as  I  did  yesterday.  In 
short,  my  memory  has  faded,  and  has  faded  rapidly. 
It  is  not  likely  that  any  memory  is  so  vivid  as  the  orig- 

7 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

inal  experience,  neither  does  it  contain  all  the  details 
of  the  actual  experience.  Immediately  after  crossing 
the  street  I  could  have  described  the  scene  much  better 
than  I  could  now.  A  year  hence  I  shall  probably  have 
forgotten  all  about  it. 

Our  memories  gradually  fade  with  time.  Profes- 
sor Ebbinghouse,  of  Germany,  was  the  first  to  try  to 
find  out  exactly  how  fast  our  memories  do  fade. 
Since  he  published  his  thesis  many  others  have  taken 
up  the  work,  and  his  and  their  results  are  fairly  well 
established  and  definite.  They  have  found  that  our 
memories  are  at  their  best  two  seconds  after  the  ex- 
perience has  taken  place.  After  two  seconds  the 
memory  fades  very  rapidly,  so  that  in  twenr^minuies 
we  have  forgotten  more  of  an  experience  than  we 
shall  forget  in  the  next  thirty  days. 

We  forget  very  rapidly  during  the  first  few  sec- 
onds, minutes  and  hours.  What  we  remember  a  day 
is  a  very  small  part  of  our  experiences,  but  it  is  the 
part  which  persists,  as  the  memory  fades  very  slowly 
after  the  first  day.  What  we  remember  for  twenty 
minutes  and  what  we  can  get  others  to  remember  for 
that  time  is  of  great  concern,  for  it  is  what  we  and 
they  remember  for  longer  times  also. 

What  the  practical  business  man   wants   to  know 
about  memory  can  be  put  in  two  questions. 
J    First,  how  can  I  improve  my  own  memory? 
r.    Second,  how  can  I  so  present  my  advertisements 
that  they  will  be  remembered  by  the  public  ? 

It  is  not  possible  for  a  person  with  a  poor  memory 

8 


MEMORY 


to  develop  a  good  one,  but  every  one  can  improve  his 

memory  by  the  observance  of  a  few 

^Foyr          well-known  and  thoroughly  established 

Principles  of  principles.     The  first  principle  is  repc- 

Improving     titloii.     If  you  want  to  make  sure  that 

Jne  s  Own    vou  w-jj  remember  a  name,  say  it  over 

Memory       tQ  yourself      Repeat  it  in  all  the  ways 

possible  —  say  it  over  aloud,  write  it, 

look  at  it  after  it   is  written,  think  how  it  sounded 

when  you  heard  the  name,  recall  it  at  frequent  periods 

and  until  it  has  become  thoroughly  fixed  in  your  mind. 

The  second  principle  is  intensity.  If  you  want  to 
remember  a  name,  pay  the  strictest  possible  attention 
to  it.  If  you  apply  the  first  principle  and  repeat  the 
name,  then  you  should  pay  the  maximum  amount  of 
attention  to  every  repetition.  In  this  way  the  process 
of  learning  will  be  so  reduced  that  a  single  repetition 
may  be  enough,  and  still  the  name  may  be  retained  for 
a  long  period  of  time. 

The  third  principle  is  that  of  association.  The 
things  which  we  think  over,  classify  and  systematize, 
and  thus  get  associated  with  our  previous  experience, 
are  the  things  which  we  commit  most  easily  and  retain 
the  longest. 

As  a  boy  at  school  I  learned  by  repetition  that  Co- 
lumbus discovered  America  in  1492.  At  that  time 
this  was  to  me  an  entirely  disconnected  fact.  It  was 
not  associated  with  anything  else,  and  so  cost  me  great 
effort  of  attention  and  frequent  repetition  before  I  had 
it  thoroughly  memorized.  At  a  later  time  I  was  com- 

9 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

pelled  to  learn  the  approximate  date  of  the  fall  of 
Constantinople,  the  application  of  the  compass  to  navi- 
gation, the  invention  of  printing,  the  time  of  the 
activity  of  Copernicus,  Michelangelo,  Titian,  Diirer, 
Holbein,  etc.  Such  a  list  of  unconnected  dates  would 
have  cost  me  much  unprofitable  effort  if  I  had  been 
compelled  to  learn  them  separately.  As  it  was,  I 
connected  them  all  with  the  date  of  the  discovery  of 
America,  and  saw  that  these  men  and  these  events 
were  all  contemporaneous  and  together  made  what  is 
known  as  the  Renaissance. 

The  details  of  a  business  or  professional  life  which 
are  connected  in  a  series  are  not  hard  to  learn,  and  are 
not  soon  forgotten.  A  man  may  have  no  trouble 
from  forgetting  the  details  of  his  business  or  profes- 
sion, yet  may  have  a  poor  memory  for  all  events  not 
thus  associated. 

The  fourth  principle  is  that  of  ingenuity.  I  re- 
member the  name  of  Miss  Low,  for  she  is  a  short 
woman.  I  remember  a  friend's  telephone,  which  is 
1391,  by  thinking  how  unfortunate  it  is  to  have  such  a 
number  to  remember — 13  is  supposed  to  be  an  un- 
lucky number,  and  91  is  seven  times  13. 

This  method  is  applicable  only  to  disconnected  facts 
which  we  find  difficulty  in  remembering  by  the  meth- 
ods given  before.  It  is,  however,  a  method  which 
was  used  by  the  Roman  orators  and  has  been  used 
more  or  less  ever  since.  There  is  probably  no  one 
who  does  not  make  frequent  use  of  it  in  attempting 
to  remember  names,  dates,  figures  and  similar  data. 

10 


MEMOR\ 


\Ye  all  appreciate  the  value  of  a  good  memory,  and 
are  willing  to  pay  any  one  who  will  tell  us  how  to 
train  ours.  This  condition  of  affairs  has  made 
"memory  training"  a  profitable  business  for  the 
fakir.  It  is  fairly  well  established  now  that  one's 
native  retentiveness  is  unchangeable.  One  who  has 
an  unretentive  memory  cannot  possibly  change  it  by 
any  method  of  training.  All  he  can  do  is  to  improve 
on  his  method  of  acquiring  and  recording  knowledge. 

The  third  principle  given  above  —  association  —  is^C 
the  one  by  far  of  the  most  importance. 

The  fourth  principle  is  the  one  of  least  general  ap- 
plication ;  indeed  if  an  attempt  is  made  to  apply  it  too 
frequently,  it  becomes  worse  than  useless,  yet  it  is  the 
principle  used  by  most  persons  who  have  "  memory 
training  "  to  sell. 

\Yhen   the   question   arises, —  how   to   construct   an 

advertisement    so    that    the    reader    cannot    forget    it. 

we  find  that  the  question  is  answered 

bv  the  proper  application  of  the  prin- 
Advertise-         *  .       v F  ,  \ 

ciples   enunciated   above.     The   adver- 
ments  are       . 
Rememb  red?  tisement  tnat  ls  repeated  over  and  over  I 

again  at  frequent  intervals  gradually 
becomes  fixed  in  the  memory  of  the  reader.  It  may 
be  a  crude  and  an  expensive  method,  but  it  seems  to 
be  effective. 

This  method  gains  added  effect  by  repeating  one 
or  more  characteristic  features,  and  by  changing  some 
uf  the  features  at  each  appearance  of  the  adver- 
tisement. Thus  the  reproduced  advertisement  of  Vi- 

ii 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

talized  Phosphites  (No.  i)  is  frequently  repeated  in 
identical  form.     We  cannot  forget  this  advertisement, 

VITALIZED  PHOSPHITES. 

Brain 
and 

Nerve 
Food, 

tbc  pho»- 
phoid  principle  of 
the  Ox  Bralo  and 
the  Embryo  of 
Wheat. 

Has  been  used  more  than  thirty  years  by  thousands 
of  active  business  men  and  women,  from  whom  ^ 

sustained,  vigorous  application  of  brain  and  nerv- 
ous power  is  required,  promptly  relieving  the  de- 
pression from  overwork,  worry,  nervous  excite- 
ment, and  sleeplessness,  increasing  activity  and 
vital  force  by  feeding  the  brain  and  nerves  with 
the  exact  food  they  require  for  their  nutrition  and 
normal  action. 

May  we  send  you  a  descriptive  pamphlet  f 

West  3sth  Street, 
New  York  City. 

If  not  /oun<J  <A  DrugffWs,  tent  by  mail  ($1M). 
CROSBrS  COLD  AND  CATARRH  CURB. 

The  T)est  remedy  In  existence  for  cold  In  the  head  anfl  tow 
throat.    By  mall,  50  cents. 

No.  1. —  This  advertisement  is  en- 
graved on  the  memory  by  the  ex- 
pensive process  of  mere  repetition. 

but  it  has  taken  too  many  repetitions  to  secure  the 
desired  results. 

The  reproduced  advertisement  of  Cream  of  Wheat 
(No.  2)  is  but  one  of  a  series  of  advertisements  in  all 
of  which  the  colored  chef  appears  prominently.  This 
characteristic  feature  causes  us  to  associate  all  of  the 
series,  and  hence  the  effect  of  repetition  is  secured. 
At  the  same  time,  there  is  sufficient  diversity,  because 
the  colored  chef  is  never  represented  in  the  same  way 
in  any  two  of  the  advertisements  as  they  appear  from 

12 


MEMORY 


month  to  month.     Similar  statements  could  be  made 
of  a  host  of  other  excellent  advertisements. 


CREAM^WHEAl 


no  matter  hoiv  little  you  want  to  eat 


dainty  breakfast 
A  dflivhtfu'-  l<i!irh<:r,n  A  delicious  dessert 


No.  2. —  This  series  of  advertisements  repre- 
sents the  central  feature,  but  always  in  a 
new  form. 

The  advertisement  which  makes  an  intense  impres- 
sion is  one  which  the  advertiser  does 
The  Second  .,      ,  ^  .     ,      , 

p  .     .  not   easily   forget.     The   methods   for 

A     lied       securing  this  intensity  are  many,   but 
a   few   examples   will   serve  to   make 
the  method  plain. 

13 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

Bright  colors  impress  us  more  than  dull  ones.  The 
bright-colored  inserts  and  advertisements  run  in  col- 
ors are  remembered  better  than  others,  because  they 
make  a  greater  impression  on  us. 

In  any  experience  it  is  the  first  and  the  last  parts  of 
it  that  impress  us  most  and  that  get  fixed  most  firmly 
in  our  memories.  The  first  and  the  last  advertise- 
ments in  a  magazine  are  the  most  effective.  Like- 
wise the  first  and  the  last  parts  of  any  particular  ad- 
vertisement (unless  very  short)  are  the  parts  that  we 
remember  best. 

The  back  cover-page  is  valuable  because  when  the 
magazine  is  lying  on  a  table  the  back  cover-page 
is  likely  to  be  turned  up,  but  in  addition  to  that  it  is  a 
valuable  page  because  it  is  likely  to  be  the  first  or  the 
last  seen  by  most  readers. 

The  second  cover-page  is  valuable  because  it  is  so 
likely  to  be  seen  first,  and  even  to  be  seen  by  those 
who  do  not  look  at  the  advertisements  in  the  back  of 
the  magazine — if  such  persons  still  exist! 

The  intensity  of  the  impression  which  an  adver- 
tisement makes  is  dependent  upon  the  response  which 
it  secures  from  the  readers.  The  pedagogue  would 
call  this  action  the  "  motor  response,"  even  though  it 
were  nothing  more  than  the  writing  of  a  postal  card. 
Such  action  is  vital  in  assisting  the  memory  of  the 
readers. 

An  advertisement  which  secures  a  response  suffi- 
cient to  lead  to  the  writing  of  a  postal  card  has  a 
chance  of  being  remembered  which  is  incomparably 


MEMORY 


greater  than  that  of  other  advertisements.  The  ad 
vertisement  of  Pompeian  Massage  Cream  (No.  3) 
will  not  soon  be  forgotten  by  those  who  are  induced 


No.  3. —  Those  who  answer  this  ad- 
vertisement will  not  easily  forget 
it. 


to  send  the  name  of  their  dealer  to  the   Pompeian 
Manufacturing  Company. 

Rhymes  and  alliterations  are  rhetorical  forms  which 
seem  to  be  of  great  assistance  when  we  attempt  to 
commit  verses,  and  even  when  we  do  not  want  to 
remember  them  the  rhythm  may  make  such  an  im- 
pression that  we  can't  forget  them.  The  "  Spotless 

15 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 


Town  "  is  an  illustration  of  a  successful  application 
of  this  psychological  fact. 

There  is  much  poor  advertising  being  clone  at  the 
present  time  in  a  futile  attempt  to  produce  a  success- 
ful imitation  of  the  "  Spotless  Town."  The  rhythm 
and  the  alliteration  must  be  excellent,  else  they  make 


Gold  Dust  Stands  Alone 

to  the  washing  powder  field—  It  has  no  substitute.    You 
must  either  use 

GOLD  DUST 

or  something  Inferior  —  there  Is  no  middle  ground 

Buy  COLD  DUST  tod  you  buy  (be  be*. 


IM>  »  Yja  If  .  K.  FAIMU1K  COMPANY.  CUao-Uitan  el  FAIRY  SCAT. 

GOLD  DUST  makes  hard  water  soft 


No.4. — Those  who  laugh  at  this  ad- 
vertisement will  remember  it. 


the  whole  attempt  seem  ridiculous,  and  the  advertise- 
ment falls  flat. 

Anything  humorous  or  ridiculous  —  even  a  pun  — 
is  hard  to  forget.  But  unless  the  attempt  is  success- 
ful, the  result  is  ludicrous  and  futile.  Furthermore, 
that  which  impresses  one  person  as  funny  may  seem 
silly  to  another.  The  reproduced  advertisement  of 
Gold  Dust  (No.  4)  seems  funny  to  some,  but  does 
not  to  others.  The  reproduced  advertisement  of 

16 


MEMORY 


Rough  on  Rats  (Xo.  5)  impresses  some  persons  as 
silly,  while  others  think  it  funny. 

Advertising  is  a  serious  business,  and  unless  the 
advertisement  is  extremely  clever,  it  is  unwise  to  at- 
tempt to  present  the  humorous  side  of  life,  although 
it  is  highly  valuable  when  well  done. 

Anything  will  be  remembered  which  awakens  our 
emotions,  whether  the  thing  be  ugly  or  beautiful, 


No.    5. —  An    evident    attempt    to    be   hu- 
morous. 


whether  it  causes  us  to  smile  or  to  sympathize  with 
the  sorrows  of  others.     That  which  excites  an  emo- 
tion is  not  easily  forgotten,  and  hence  is  a  good  formO 
of  advertising,   if  it  can  convince  the  reason  at  the^ 
same  time  that  it  stimulates  the  feelings.     The  adver- 
tisement of  Gold  Dust  (No.  4)  pleases  me  and  con- 
vinces me  that  the  product  is  good.     The  advertise- 
ment of  Rough  on  Rats  (Xo.  5)  amuses  me  because  it 
is  so  excessively  silly.     It  does  not  please  me,  does  not 
convince  me  of  the  desirability  of  the  goods.     I  find 

17 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

that  both  advertisements  have  made  such  an  intense 
impression  on  me  that  they  have  stuck  in  my  memory, 
and  I  see  no  prospect  of  being  able  to  forget  them 
soon. 

The   writer   of   advertisements   must   consider   the 

principle  of  association,  and  ordinarily  does  so,  even 

if  he  does  it  unconsciously.    He  should 

T^ViA      T^li-ir^/^ 

present  his  argument  in  such  a  form 
Principle  .       .,,  .,     , 

A      v  j        that  it  will  naturally  and  easily  be  as- 
Applied  ; . 

sociated  by  the   reader  with  his  own 

former  experience.  This  is  best  done  by  appealing  to 
those  interests  and  motives  which  are  the  ruling  prin- 
ciples of  the  reader's  thinking.  Personally,  I  should 
forget  a  recipe  for  a  cake  before  I  had  finished  read- 
ing it,  but  to  a  cook  it  is  full  of  interest,  and  does 
not  stand  out  as  an  isolated  fact,  but  as  a  modification 
or  addition  of  something  already  in  his  mind.  The 
statement  that  the  bond  bears  four  per  cent,  interest 
is  not  forgotten  by  the  capitalist;  for  he  immediately 
associates  the  bond  of  which  this  statement  is  made 
with  the  group  of  similar  bonds,  and  so  the  statement 
is  remembered,  not  as  an  isolated  fact,  but  in  connec- 
tion with  a  whole  series  of  facts  which  are  constantly 
before  his  mind. 

The  arguments  of  an  advertisement  should  be  such 
as  are  easily  associated  with  the  personal  interests  and 
with  the  former  experience  of  the  majority  of  the 
readers. 

The  reproduced  advertisement  of  the  Buster  Brown 
Stocking  Co.  (No.  6)  is  in  direct  violation  of  this  prin- 

18 


MEMORY 


ciple.  The  advertisement  was  evidently  written  by  a 
man,  and  appeals  to  men  as  being  a  good  advertise- 
ment. It  would  be  remembered  by  men,  and  if  they 
were  the  purchasers  of  boys'  stockings,  it  would  be  an 


ThtRt  is  MONEY  m 

a*  BUTTER 


5% 


'  1W  BOLSTTK  BUoWtJ  JTTX^ffteJ-  rof?  Btfry  ARE  THI  B 

w<ynA«.  wf-mt  trfju>r  or  CVTKY  PAIR  u-  T 
A  5%  INTEREST  COOPOtf  L1KX  THUS1 
TKU  CoOpONJ'HoOl.D  Bi  JAVtD 
PRtJIHT^  YOOR  WVt  JT»«>/r 
WORTH  01  CDOPOK*  THEVAfiE  EEDItJMBLS  BV  THE 


Here  is  the  opportunity  to  give 
your  boy  a  lesson  in  the  value  of 
money  and  the  growth  of  interest 


No.     6.— 


The    wrong    associations    sug- 
gested. 


excellent  advertisement.  In  reality  the  men  do  not 
buy  the  stockings,  and  so  the  advertisement  appeals  to 
those  who  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  business  —  ex- 
cept those  who  pay  for  the  advertisement. 

The  following  expressions  appeal  powerfully  to  a 
manufacturer,  but  not  to  a  mother : 

'*  Five  per  cent,  gold  bonds,"  "  Clip  your  coupons 
and  make  money,"  "  Give  your  boy  a  lesson  in  the 

19 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

value  of  money  and  the  growth  of  interest/'  '  This  is 
one  per  cent,  more  than  any  bank  pays,  and  allows 
you  the  use  of  the  principal,  allowing  you  a  share  of 
our  profits/'  etc. 

The  principle  of  ingenuity  can  have  but  an  occa 
sional  application,  but  there  are  instances  when  it  K 

been    employed    with    great    effective- 
The  Fourth  *        «TT        ,    ,,     . 

ness.     Thus       Uneeda       is    a    nar 
Principle  .  — - — , —  ,      , 

A      v    ,        which  cannot  be  forgotten.     It  plea 
Applied 

by   its  very  ingenuity,   although  rr 

of  the  attempts  in  this  direction  have  been  fu.ile. 
Thus  "  Uwanta  "  is  recognized  as  an  imitation,  and 
is  neither  impressive  nor  pleasing.  "  Keen  Kutter  " 
is  a  name  for  tools  which  is  not  easily  forgotten. 
"  Syrup  of  Figs  "  is  a  name  for  a  patent  medicine  which 
is  easily  remembered,  although  the  product  contains 
no  figs. 

A  tailor  in  Chicago  advertised  himself  and  his  shop 
in  such  an  ingenious  way  that  no  one  could  read  his 
advertisement  and  forget  the  essential  features  of  it. 
His  street  number  was  33,  his  telephone  number  was 
the  same.  There  were  33  letters  in  his  name  and 
address.  He  sold  a  business  suit  for  $33.  The  num- 
ber1 33  stood  out  prominently  as  the  striking  feature 
of  his  advertisement  and  impressed  many  as  being 
unique,  and  at  the  same  time  fixed  in  their  minds 
his  name  and  address,  and  the  cost  of  his  suits. 

The  four  principles  enunciated  above  for  im- 
pressing advertisements  on  the  minds  of  possible  cus- 
tomers are  capable  of  unlimited  application,  and  will 

20 


MEMORY 

not  disappoint  any;  for  they  are  the  laws  which  have 
been  found  to  govern  the  minds  of  all  persons  as  far 
is  their  memories  are  concerned. 


21 


Ill 

THE  FEELINGS    AND  THE 
EMOTIONS 

WE  all  know  what  is  meant  by  pleasure  and  pain, 
by  joy  and  grief.  These  feelings  and  emotions  are 
not  better  understood  after  we  have  attempted  to  de- 
fine them.  They  are  known  only  by  experience,  and 
we  are  all  familiar  with  them.  In  the  present  chapter 
we  are  interested  in  the  effect  which  pleasure  and  pain 
and  the  different  emotions  have  upon  the  mind  and 
the  body  of  the  person  experiencing  them.  These  ef- 
fects are  not  sufficiently  recognized  and  yet  they  are 
of  special  significance  to  the  advertiser. 

For  the  sake  of  brevity  we  'shall  use  the  word 
pleasure  not  merely  to  express  such  simple  pleasures  as 
tasting  an  appetizing  morsel,  but  also  to  express  such 
pleasurable  emotions  as  joy,  love,  benevolence,  grati- 
tude, pride,  etc.  The  word  pain  or  displeasure  will 
likewise  be  used  to  express  simple  painful  sensations 
and  also  emotions  which  involve  pain,  such  as  fear, 
hate,  jealousy,  antipathy,  etc. 

Every  pleasurable  and  every  painful  experience  has 
a  direct  reflex  effect  on  the  bodily  functions  and  also 

on  the  action  of  the  mind.     These  ef- 
Effects  of      -  . , 

p.  fects   are    widespread    and    important. 

,  p  .         Some  of  these  changes,  even  though 

significant,    are    not    directly   detected 

without    the   use   of   delicate   recording    instruments. 

22 


THE    FEELINGS    AND    THE    EMOTIONS 

Pleasures  actually  cause  the  limbs  to  increase  in  size, 
and,  accompanying  the  physical  change,  is  a  feeling 
uf  expansiveness  which  serves  to  heighten  the  pleas- 
ure. With  pain  the  limbs  shrivel  in  size,  and  this  is 
accompanied  by  a  feeling  of  depression. 

Under  the  influence  of  pleasure  the  efficiency  of  the 
heart-action  is  greatly  enhanced.  This  increase  of 
blood  supply  gives  us  a  feeling  of  buoyancy  and  in- 
creased vitality,  which  greatly  enhances  the  already 
pleasing  experience.  Displeasure,  on  the  other  hand, 
interferes  with  the  normal  action  of  the  heart. 
This  gives  us  a  feeling  of  sluggishness  and  depres- 
sion. 

Pleasure  assists  the  rhythmical  action  of  the  lungs 
and  adds  to  the  depth  of  breathing.  These  changes 
serve  but  to  add  to  the  already  pleasing  experience. 
Pain  interferes  with  the  rhythm  of  breathing,  makes 
the  lung  action  less  deep,  and  gives  a  feeling  of  being 
stifled,  hindered  and  checked  in  carrying  out  our  pur- 
poses. 

Pleasing  experiences  increase  our  muscular  strength 
and  cause  us  to  feel  like  men.  \Ye  feel  more  like  un- 
dertaking great  tasks  and  have  more  faith  in  our  abil- 
ity to  accomplish  them.  Pain  decreases  muscular 
strength  and  gives  us  a  feeling  of  weakness  and  lack 
of  confidence. 

Pleasures  not  only  give  greater  strength  to  the  vol- 
untary muscles,  but  they  affect  directly  the  action  of 
all  the  voluntary  and  involuntary  muscles  of  the  body. 
In  pleasure  the  hands  go  out  from  the  body,  the  shoul- 

23 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

ders  are  thrown  back  and  the  head  elevated.  We 
open  up  and  become  subject  to  the  influences  in  our 
environment.  Being  pleased  with  what  we  are  re- 
ceiving, we  become  receptive  and  expand  that  we  may 
take  in  more  of  the  same  sort.  In  pain  the  hands  are 
drawn  in  towards  the  chest  and  the  whole  body  draws 
in  within  itself  as  if  to  protect  itself  against  outside 
influences.  These  actions  of  the  body  are  reflected 
in  the  mental  attitude.  In  pleasure  our  minds  ex- 
pand. We  become  extremely  suggestible,  and  are 
likely  to  see  everything  in  a  favorable  light.  We  are 
prompt  to  act  and  confident  of  success.  In  pain  wre 
are  displeased  with  the  present  experiences  and  so 
withdraw  within  ourselves  to  keep  from  being  acted 
upon.  We  refuse  to  receive  suggestions,  are  not  eas- 
ily influenced,  and  are  in  a  suspicious  attitude  toward 
everything  which  is  proposed.  When  in  pain  we 
question  the  motives  of  even  our  friends  and  only 
suspicious  thoughts  are  called  up  in  our  minds. 

These  brief  statements  of  facts  serve  to  call  to  the 

reader's   attention   the   mental   attitude   in   which  the 

person   is  placed   by  the   influence   of 

**        pleasure  and  pain.     Keen  observers  of 
Customers 
,_,          ,        men  have  not  been  slow  in  profiting 

Their         ^7    these    facts.     In    "  Pickwick    Pa- 
Feelings       pers,"  speaking  from  the  view-point  of 
the     defendant,     Dickens     says :     "  A 
good,  contented,  well-breakfasted  juryman  is  a  cap- 
'.tal  thing  to  get  hold   of.     Discontented   or  hungry 
jurymen  always  find  for  the  plaintiff."     Here  Dickens 

24 


THE    FEELINGS     AXD    THE    EMOTIONS 

expresses  the  fact  that  man  is  not  pre-eminently  log- 
ical, but  that  his  thinking  is  influenced  by  his  present 
state  of  feelings.  If  the  juryman  were  discontented 
and  hungry,  he  would  be  feeling  pessimistic  and 
suspicious  and  would  believe  in  the  guilt  of  the  de- 
fendant. 

The  modern  business  man  does  his  utmost  to  min- 
ister to  the  pleasure  of  the  customers  in  his  store. 
He  knows  that  they  will  place  a  larger  order  if  they 
are  feeling  happy  than  if  they  are  feeling  otherwise. 
The  American  slang  expression,  "  jolly  up,"  means  the 
pleasing  by  flattery  of  the  one  from  whom  it  is  de- 
sired to  obtain  a  favor.  The  merchant  attempts  to 
please  the  customer  by  the  appearance  of  the  store, 
by  courteous  treatment  and  by  every  other  possible 
method.  The  same  pains  must  be  taken  by  the  adver- 
tiser in  his  attempts  to  please  those  to  whom  his  ap- 
peals are  made.  The  methods  open  to  the  advertiser 
are  relatively  few  and  hence  all  available  means  should 
be  employed  most  assiduously. 

In  the  present  chapter  the  importance  of  pleasing 
the  advertiser  by  appealing  to  his  esthetic  sense  will 
be  emphasized,  and  suggestions  will  be  given  of  con- 
crete methods  which  are  available  to  the  advertiser 
in  appealing  to  the  sense  of  the  beautiful. 

To  be  beautiful  a  thing  must  possess  certain  char- 
acteristics which  awaken  a  feeling  of  appreciation  in 
the  normal  person.  It  is  true  that  the  artistic 
judgment  is  not  possessed  equally  by  all,  or  at  least  it 
is  not  equally  developed  in  all.  There  are,  however, 

25 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

certain  combinations  of  sounds  which  are  universally 
called    harmonies    and    others    which 

eau.ty        are    called    discords.     There    are    cer- 
Appreciated       .  ,  .  ....      1  ,  .  , 

mil       i.  TVT  ^  tain  combinations  of  colors  which  are 
Though  Not 

Understood  regai"ded  as  pleasing  and  others  which 
are  displeasing.  There  are  likewise 
certain  geometrical  forms  or  space  arrangements 
which  are  beautiful,  and  others  which  are  displeasing. 
The  musician  knows  what  tones  will  harmonize  and 
which  ones  will  not.  The  man  .without  a  musical  edu- 
cation does  not  possess  such  knowledge,  but  he  appre- 
ciates the  harmony  of  tones  when  he  hears  it.  The 
colorist  knows  how  to  produce  pleasing  effects  with 
colors.  He  has  acquired  this  knowledge  which  others 
do  not  possess,  although  they  are  able  to  appreciate 
his  work.  The  artist  knows  how  to  produce  pleasing 
effects  with  symmetry  and  proportion  of  space  forms. 
The  uninitiated  does  not  possess  such  knowledge  or 
ability,  although  he  is  able  to  appreciate  the  work  of 
the  artist  and  can  distinguish  it  from  the  work  of  the 
novice. 

Perhaps  the  simplest  thing  that  could  be  suggested 
which  would  have  an  element  of  esthetic  feeling  con- 
nected with  it  is  the  bisection  of  a  straight  line.  It 
seems  almost  absurd  to  suppose  that  the  position  of  the 
point  of  division  in  a  straight  line  would  have  any- 
thing to  do  with  a  feeling  of  pleasure.  Such, 
however,  is  certainly  the  case,  but,  as  might  be  ex- 
pected, the  esthetic  feeling  is  not  very  pronounced. 
As  an  illustration,  look  at  No.  i.  Here  we  have  a 

26 


THE    FEELINGS    AND    THE    EMOTIONS 

series  of  straight  lines  divided  by  short  cross  lines. 
Look  at  the  lines  carefully  and  you  will  probably  feel 
that  the  lines  A,  B  and  C  are  divided  in  a  more  pleas- 
ing manner  than  F,  G  and  H.  In  other  words,  if  a 
straight  vertical  line  is  to  be  divided  into  two  unequal 
parts,  you  prefer  to  have  the  division  come  above  the 


ABCDEFOH 

No.    1. —  A  series  of   bisected  lines.     Which  bi- 
section   is    the    most    pleasing? 

middle.     This  is  not  an  altogether  unimportant  dis- 
covery. 

In  judging  of  vertical  distances,  we  over-estimate 
the  upper  half.  For  this  reason  the  line  E,  which  is 
divided  into  two  equal  parts,  appears  to  be  divided 
into  two  slightly  unequal  parts  and  the  lower  section 
seems  to  be  the  smaller.  The  line  D  is  divided  at  a 
point  slightly  above  the  middle,  but  it  appears  to  be 
divided  into  two  exactly  equal  parts.  Many  persons 
would  say  that  the  line  D  is  more  pleasing  than  E, 

27 


i 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

for  D  appears  to  be  divided  into  two  equal  parts,  while 
E  appears  as  if  an  unsuccessful  attempt  had  been  made 
to  divide  the  line  into  two  equal  parts. 

Line  D  seems  to  be  perfectly  symmetrical — its  two 
parts  appear  equal.  The  symmetry  about  this  divi- 
sion pleases  us,  and  most  persons  would  say  that  this 
line,  which  is  divided  symmetrically,  is  more  pleasing 
than  A  or  H,  which  are  not  divided  symmetrically. 

The  two  parts  of  the  lines  A,  B,  C  and  H  appear 
too  unequal  and  the  two  parts  of  line  E  appear  too 
nearly  equal.  Lines  C  and  F  are  very  pleasing.  They 
have  divisions  which  do  not  seem  to  be  too  much  alike, 
so  the  divisions  give  diversity.  The  parts  are  not  so 
different  that  they  destroy  the  feeling  of  unity  in  the 
line.  A  line  is  pleasing  if  its  two  parts  are  not  too 
much  alike  and  not  too  different.  The  ratio  of  the 
smaller  section  of  the  line  to  the  larger  section  in  C 
and  F  is  approximately  that  of  3  to  5.  That  is  to 
say,  if  a  vertical  line  is  eight  inches  long,  the  result  is 
pleasing  if  the  line  is  divided  into  two  sections  which 
are  respectively  3  and  5  inches  long.  Exact  experi- 
mentation and  measurements  of  artistic  productions 
show  that  there  is  a  remarkable  preference  for  this 
ratio,  which  is  known  as  the  "  golden  section."  The 
exact  ratio  is  that  of  i  to  1.618,  which  is  approxi- 
mately that  of  3  to  5.  A  line  is  divided  most  artistic- 
ally, if  the  lower  section  is  1.6 1 8  times  as  great  as  the 
upper.  Although  this  fraction  seems  very  formid- 
able, it  is  the  arithmetical  expression  of  a  simple  pro- 
portion which  is  this :  the  short  section  is  to  the  longer 

28 


THE    FEELINGS    AND    THE    EMOTIONS 

section  as  the  longer  section  is  to  the  sum  of  both  sec- 
tions. Any  division  of  a  line  which  approximates  this 
golden  section  is  pleasing,  but  a  division  which  ap- 
proximates the  symmetrical  division  (and  is  not  quite 
symmetrical)  is  displeasing. 

If  you  hold  No,  i  sideways,  the  lines  wTill  all  be 
changed  from  vertical  to  horizontal.  The  divisions 
will  now  assume  a  new  relation.  The  divisions  of 
lines  A,  B  and  C  cease  to  be  more  pleasing  than  those 
of  F,  G  and  H.  E  now  seems  to  be  divided  sym- 
metrically and  is  more  pleasing  than  D.  In  fact,  for 
most  persons  the  symmetrical  divisions  of  E  seem  to 
be  more  pleasing  than  those  of  even  C  and  F,  which 
are  divided  according  to  the  ratio  of  the  "  golden  sec- 
tion." The  most  pleasing  division,  of  a  horizontal 
line  is  that  of  perfect  symmetry  and  the  next_most 
pleasing  is  that  of  the  "  golden  section." 

In  these  divisions  of  straight  lines  into  two  equal 
parts  unity  is  secured;  in  the  divisions  according  to 
the  ratio  of  the  golden  section  diversity  is  secured, 
and  the  unity  is  not  entirely  lost.  Unity  and  diversity 
are  essential  elements  in  all  esthetic  pleasures.  In 
vertical  lines  we  seem  to  prefer  the  emphasis  on  the 
diversity,  while  in  horizontal  lines  the  exact  symmetry, 
or  unity,  is  most  pleasing. 

The  discovery  of  the  most  pleasing 

proportion     between     the     parts     of 
Divisions  .    ,     .,    ,. 

of  Form        straight   lines   would   be   of   decidedly 

more    importance    if    we    should    find 
that  the  same  ratio  holds  for  the  parts  of  more  com- 

29 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

plicated  figures.  Is  a  rectangle  more  pleasing  than  a 
square?  (For  the  sake  of  brevity  of  expression  we 
disregard  the  fact  that  a  square  is  a  particular  form  of 
a  rectangle.)  Men  have  been  called  on  to  decide  this 
question  times  without  number.  By  investigating  a 
very  large  number  of  such  decisions  we  may  be  able  to 
discover  something  of  value.  The  architect  is  called 
upon  to  decide  this  question  every  time  he  constructs 
a  building  in  which  the  artistic  effect  plays  any  part 
—  and  it  always  should.  Think  of  the  temples,  pal- 
aces, cathedrals,  cottages,  museums  and  all  other  struc- 
tures in  which  the  artistic  element  plays  a  large  part. 
In  a  great  proportion  of  these  the  height  is  not  equal 
to  the  width.  The  individual  rooms  not  infrequently 
bear  the  same  ratios  as  the  height  and  width  of  the 
entire  building.  Careful  measurement  of  such  struc- 
tures has  revealed  a  striking  tendency  to  approximate 
what  we  have  learned  as  the  "  ^Idensection.''  In 
fact,  it  was  originally  called  the  "  golden  section  of 
architecture,"  because  it  was  discovered  so  uniformly 
in  architecture. 

Think  of  the  shape  of  the  flags  of  all  nations,  of  all 
the  picture  frames  which  you  have  ever  seen,  of  win- 
dow panes,  mirrors,  playing  cards,  sheets  of  paper, 
envelopes,  books,  periodicals  and  all  other  objects  in 
which  the  shape  is  determined  to  a  greater  or  less  ex- 
.tent  by  artistic  demands.  In  most  of  these  objects  we 
find  a  very  decided  tendency  to  make  the  height  equal 
the  width,  ar  else  the  height  is  to  the  width  approxi- 
mately as -3  is  to  5. 

30 


THE    FEELINGS    AND    THE    EMOTIONS 


Look  at  the  square  and  the  rectangle  in  No.  2.  The 
height  of  the  rectangle  is  to  its  base  as  3  to  5.  Most 
persons  say  that  the  rectangle  is  the  more  pleasing; 
some  have  a  preference  for  the  square.  In  the  square 
we  have  a  very  decided  symmetry.  Each  line  is  equal 
to  every  other  line.  A  straight  line  drawn  through  the 
center  of  the  figure  from  any  angle  divides  the  figure 
into  two  equivalent  parts.  In  the  rectangle  the  height 
is  not  equal  to  the  length,  but  a  line  drawn  through 


No.  2.  —  A  square  and  a  rectangle.     Which  is  the  more  beautiful? 


the  center  of  the  figure  divides  it  into  two  equivalent 
parts.  The  square  seems  to  possess  much  symmetry 
but  little  diversity.  The  rectangle  possesses  both 
unity  and  diversity. 

A  very  careful  investigator  of  the  esthetic  value  of 
the  different  space  forms  gives  some  interesting  re- 
sults as  the  fruits  of  his  labors.  Thus,  a  rectangle 
whose  base  is  three  per  cent,  greater  than  the  height 
is  more  pleasing  than  the  perfect  square.  This  is  ac- 
counted for  because  we  overestimate  the  height  of  a 
square  about  three  per  cent.  Thus  the  rectangle 
whose  base  is  three  per  cent,  greater  than  its  height 

31 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

appears  to  be  a  perfect  square  and  so  is  more  pleasing 
than  the  perfect  square.  If  the  height  of  a  rectangle 
is  approximately  eighteen  per  cent,  greater  or  less 
than  its  base,  the  figure  is  displeasing  because  it  looks 
like  an  imperfect  square.  If  the  difference  in  the  two 
dimensions  of  the  rectangle  becomes  as  great  as  forty 
per  cent.,  the  effect  is  pleasing  because  the  difference 
is  great  enough  to  make  it  evident  that  the  figure  was 
not  meant  for  a  square.  If  one  dimension  of  the  rec- 
tangle exceeds  the  other  approximately  sixty  per  cent., 
we  have  the  ratio  of  the  "  golden  section,"  and  the 
result  is  more  pleasing  than  it  is  for  any  other  ratio 
of  base  to  height.  If  one  dimension  of  a  rectangle 
exceeds  the  other  by  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty 
per  cent.,  the  result  is  not  satisfactory.  The  differ- 
ence between  the  two  dimensions  seems  to  become  too 
great  and  the  unity  of  the  figure  is  weakened. 

When  we  consider  that  the  ratio  of  one  dimension 
to  the  other  is  but  a  minor  element  in  the  total  esthetic 
effect,  we  are  not  surprised  that  we  find  exceptions  to 
the  conclusions  reached  in  the  foregoing,  but  the  sur- 
prising thing  is  the  lack  of  more  exceptions.  Build- 
ings that  exceed  in  height  the  ratio  as  given  here  do 
not  look  beautiful,  and  if  the  disproportion  becomes 
great  because  of  the  excessive  height,  we  call  the 
buildings  skyscrapers  and  regard  them  as  eyesores  to 
the  American  cities.  A  building  whose  width  is  many 
times  its  height  is  usually  ugly  and  is  designated  as 
a  shed. 

That  which  has  been  said  of  the  square  and  the  rec-- 

32 


THE    FEELINGS    AND    THE    EMOTIONS 

tangle  holds  equally  true  for  the  circle  and  the  ellipse. 
A  circle  is  a  pleasing  form  which  pleases  because  of 
its  symmetry  and  regularity.  An  ellipse  that  is  too 
much  like  a  circle  is  much  less  pleasing  than  an  ellipse 
in  which  the  smaller  diameter  is  to  the  greater  one  as 
3  is  to  5.  The  same  holds  true  of  a  triangle  also. 

The  space  used  by  an  advertiser  is  usually  a  rec- 
tangle.    In   choosing  this  space,   does  the  advertiser 
take  into  consideration  the  relation  of 

the  height  and  width  which  will  pro- 
Form    for         j  i         •  re         :>       TJ 

duce    the    most    pleasing    effect?     He 
Advertise-  .  1 

ments         certainly  does  and  the  space  he  chooses 

meets  the  conditions  of  esthetic  pleas- 
ure as  given  above,  although  he  may  be  entirely  un- 
conscious of  any  such  intention.  Thus  in  an  ordinary 
magazine  the  full  page  and  the  ordinary  quarter-page 
(the  upper  right,  upper  left,  lower  right  and  lower 
left)  approximates  most  nearly  the  "  golden  section." 
Xext  in  the  approximation  to  the  standard  is  the 
division  into  upper  and  lower  halves;  next  comes  the 
horizontal  quarter,  and  last  the  division  into  right  and 
left  halves.  This  order  of  esthetic  effect  is  also  the 
order  of  frequency  of  choice  of  space.  The  fact  that 
a  right  or  left  half-page  may  be  next  to  reading  mat- 
ter makes  this  division  more  popular  than  it  otherwise 
would  be.  Turn  over  the  pages  of  advertisements  in 
any  magazine  and  look  at  the  different  spaces  to  see 
which  class  of  spaces  pleases  you  most  and  which  least, 
and  you  will  probably  choose  the  spaces  in  the  order 
as  indicated  above.  (No  mention  has  been  made  of 

33 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

small  advertisements,  but  what  has  been  said  of  the 
larger  spaces  holds  true  of  the  smaller  also.) 

Some  advertisers  have  used  narrow  spaces  which  ex- 
tend entirely  across  the  page.  The  effect  has  not 
been  pleasing,  although  such  shapes  might  be  striking, 
because  of  their  oddity.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  no  pub- 
lisher will  allow  the  pages  of  his  magazine  to  be 
chopped  up  into  vertical  quarters,  for  the  effect  would 
be  most  inartistic. 

The  artistic  subdivisions  of  spaces  follow  the  laws 
of  symmetry  and  proportion  as  given  above.     Almost 
every  artistic  production  can  be  sub- 
divided into  two  equivalent  parts  by 
Subdivisions  .  \. 

f  Adv  r       drawing   a   vertical   line   through   the 

tisements  middle  °f  &-  Such  symmetry  as  this 
is  called  bilateral  symmetry.  As  a 
typical  example  of  bilateral  symmetry  as  well  as  pleas- 
ing proportion  in  an  advertisement  we  reproduce  here- 
with the  advertisement  of  the  Butler  Paper  Company 
(No.  3).  The  line  drawn  vertically  through  this  ad- 
vertisement divides  it  into  two  symmetrical  parts. 
Every  subdivision  of  the  display  and  of  the  text  is 
centered.  The  horizontal  divisions  are  strictly  bilat- 
eral symmetry.  Dotted  lines  are  drawn  to  indicate 
the  vertical  divisions.  In  this  we  see  that  the  sub- 
divisions are  not  equal,  but  increase  from  the  bottom 
upward  in  a  pleasing  proportion.  A  marked  display 
is  found  in  the  words  "  Snow  Flake,"  which  serve  to 
divide  the  text  into  two  unequal  divisions  which  are 
related  to  each  other  in  a  pleasing  proportion.  Such 

34 


THE    REELINGS    AND    THE    EMOTIONS 

an  arrangement  of  the  vertical  subdivisions  is  cer- 
tainly more  pleasing  than  equal  subdivisions  would 
be.  By  such  subdivisions  as  we  have  here  the  unity 
of  the  page  is  not  destroyed,  and  diversity  is  secured. 


*KIATB  NAMB 

HE  BONDERS 


A  MOST  APPS 

FOR  ONR  OP 

THE 


Snow 

ENAMELED 


1  Like  the  Suow  Fla 
sake  has  six  cardin; 
are  as  many  as  the  c< 
wonderful  crystal, 
form  the  paper  may 


>  of  nature,  its  name 
points  and  »t»  uses 
unless  desiifns  <rf  th« 
n  whatever  printed 
ppcar,  its  »ix  points 


UUfcc  uty 
Modcr    r  Price 


JAM  EL  is  carried  in 
aad  weights 
tght«  promptly  for 


stock   10  alt 
Special  sue«  and 
oisbed  to  order 


•f  Samples  and  full 
request  Do  not  wait 
need,  but  write 


forruatiOD  s«nt  upon 

nttl  you  are  in  argent 

and  be  prepared. 


No.  3. —  An  example  of  bilateral  symmetry. 

It  should  be  observed  that  this  advertisement  of  the 
Butler  Paper  Company  has  employed  an  unusually 
large  number  of  figures  which  are  symmetrical  and 

35 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

many  more  which  are  arranged  on  the  ratio  of  the 
"  golden  section."  As  a  result,  pleasing  unity  and 
diversity  are  both  secured.  The  symmetry  is  pro- 
nounced in  the  twenty-four  crystals  or  stars  which 
are  used  as  a  decoration  in  the  border.  There  are 
twelve  different  kinds  of  stars,  but  each  star  has  six 
main  subdivisions  and  six  minor  subdivisions.  There 
are  enough  stars  to  give  diversity,  and  the  stars  are 
sufficiently  alike  to  give  unity  to  the  border  as  a 
whole. 

The  white  rectangle  on  which  the  text  is  found  is 
slightly  too  long  to  be  in  the  exact  ratio  of  the  golden 
section,  while  the  darker  border  is  too  wide  to  meet 
the  condition,  but  these  rectangles  are  as  near  to  the 
ratio  of  the  golden  section  as  could  be  produced  in 
such  a  complicated  figure  as  this. 

It  is  no  accident  that  the  conventional  ellipse  at  the 
top  of  the  advertisement  is  in  the  same  ratio  as  the 
rectangles,  i.  e.,  that  of  the  golden  section.  If  this 
advertisement  were  either  lengthened  or  shortened, 
its  proportions  would  vary  from  that  of  the  "  golden 
section,"  and  the  results  would  be  recognized  by  the 
ordinary  observer  as  less  satisfactory. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  exaggerate  the  importance  of 
these  laws  of  symmetry  and  proportion.  They  con- 
tribute an  appreciable  amount  to  the  beautification  of 
the  advertising  page  and  hence  to  the  production  of 
pleasure  in  the  mind  of  every  possible  customer  who 
sees  the  advertisement.  Inasmuch  as  the  pleasure  of 
the  customer  is  of  such  fundamental  importance  the 

36 


THE    FEELINGS    AXD    THE    EMOTIONS 

advertiser  cannot  afford  to  neglect  any  element  which 
contributes  to  the  total  pleasurable  effect.  There  are 
other  laws  which  are  of  importance  in  giving  a  pleas- 
ing effect  to  a  page.  Among  such  laws  might  be 
mentioned  ease  of  comprehension,  ease  of  eye-move- 
ment, appropriate  point  of  orientation  and  utility. 

Space  will  not  admit  of  a  presentation  of  these 
principles  but  the  purpose  of  this  chapter  has  been 
attained  if  the  reader  has  become  impressed  with  the 
importance  of  pleasing  the  possible  customer  and  with 
the  significance  of  such  simple  laws  as  that  of  propor- 
tion and  symmetry  in  accomplishing  the  desired  result. 
These  laws  are  of  universal  application  in  laying  out 
advertisements  and  in  choosing  spaces,  and  an  appre- 
ciation of  their  importance  by  the  advertisers  of  the 
land  would  lead  to  a  beautification  of  the  advertising 
pages  of  our  publications  and  hence  to  an  increase  in 
their  value  to  the  advertiser. 


37 


IV 

APPEALS  TO  THE  CUSTOMER'S 
SYMPATHY 

IN  the  last  chapter  we  saw  the  significance  of  pleas- 
ure and  pain  in  inducing  the  proper  attitude  in  the 
minds  of  the  customers.  We  also  saw  how  a  pleasing 
effect  could  be  produced  by  the  judicious  use  of  the 
laws  of  symmetry  and  proportion  in  constructing  ad- 
vertisements. In  the  present  chapter  we  shall  con- 
tinue the  general  discussion  of  the  benefit  of  awaken- 
ing the  feelings  and  emotions  and  will  confine  the 
discussion  to  a  single  emotion,  namely,  that  of  sym- 
pathy. 

Bv  sympathy  we  mean  in  general  a  particular  men- 
tal attitude  which  is  induced  by  the  realization  of  the 
fact  that  some  one  else  is  going  through  that  par- 
ticular form  of  experience.  Thus  I  laugh  and  feel 
happy  because  those  about  me  are  rejoicing,  and  I 
weep  because  I  see  my  friends  weep.  To  a  certain 
extent  we  seem  to  imagine  ourselves  as  in  the  condi- 
tion actually  experienced  by  those  about  us  and  hence 
feel  as  we  assume  they  must  feel.  The  feelings  awak- 
ened sympathetically  are  intense  enough  to  cause 
weeping,  laughing  and  all  the  ordinary  forms  of  ex- 
pressing the  emotions. 

We  are  not  indifferent  as  to  the  objects  upon  which 
we  bestow  our  sympathy.  I  feel  no  sympathy  with 
the  tree  that  is  struck  by  the  woodman's  axe  nor  for 

38 


CUSTOMER'S     SYMPATHY 

the  stone  that  is  crushed  under  the  wheels  of  a  traction 

engine.     I  may  feel  sympathy  for  the 
Sympathy  , 

:     vT  mouse  whose  nest  is  destroyed  or  for 

for  Our 

T ,     TOT         the   horse   that   is   cruelly   treated.     I 
Ideal  Selves 

sympathize  with  animals  because  I 
believe  that  they  have  feelings  similar  to  mine.  I  feel 
more  sympathy  for  the  higher  animals  (dogs  and 
'horses)  than  I  do  for  the  lower  animals,  for  I  believe 
that  their  feelings  are  more  like  mine.  I  have  a 
certain  amount  of  sympathy  for  all  humanity,  but  I 
sympathize  most  with  those  of  my  own  set  or  clique, 
with  those  who  think  the  same  thoughts  that  I  think 
and  who  are  in  every  way  most  like  myself.  After 
those  of  this  inner  circle  of  acquaintances,  my  sympa- 
thy is  greatest  for  those  whom  I  might  call  my  ideals. 
If  I  desire  to  be  prosperous,  I  feel  keen  sympathy  with 
the  man  who  appears  to  be  prosperous.  If  I  am  am- 
bitious to  be  a  well-dressed  man,  I  feel  sympathetically 
towards  those  who  are  well  dressed.  If  I  desire  to 
attain  a  certain  station  in  life,  I  feel  sympathetically 
with  those  who  appear  to  have  attained  my  ambition. 
In  the  advertisement  of  Thomas  Cook  &  Co.  (No. 
i )  I  do  not  think  of  the  old  lady  and  gentleman  as 

being  of  my  class.     They  are  not  my 
Illustrations    .,  ,         , 

ideals  and  I  therefore  have  compara- 
.,  From  Adver-    .  •  i  ™ 

<       .  tively  little  sympathy  with  them.    They 

are  enjoying  themselves  immensely 
and  probably  never  had  a  better  time  in  all  their  lives 
than  they  are  having  as  members  of  this  touring  party, 
but  as  I  look  at  them  I  am  not  pleased  at  all.  Their 

39 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

pleasure  is  not  contagious  so  far  as  I  am  concerned. 
I  seem  to  be  immune  from  all  their  pleasures.     I  have 


THE  WINTER   RESORT  of  the  "world,  par 

exfet/fiff,  is  Egypt,  easily  and  directly  reached  by  many 
luxurious  Transatlantic  Imrrb  from  New  York  and  Boston  to 
Alexandria.  Cook's  Nile  Steamers  from  Cairo  to  the  First 
and  Second  Cataracts,  (for  the  Sudan,  Khartoum,  eic.,)  leave 
four  times  weekly  November  to  March.  Select  Tours  and 
high  class  Cruises  from  New  York,  January,  February  and 
March.  Thirty  Spring  and  Summer  Tours -to  Europe  for 
season  1904.  For  plans  of  steamers,  printed  matter,  and  to 
secure  berths  apply  to 

THOS.  COOK  &  SON 

New  York,  Boston,  Philadelphia,  Chicago, 
San  Francisco,  etc, 

No.   1. —  I  do  not  share  their  pleasures. 

no  desire  to  imitate  their  actions  and  become  a  mem- 
ber of  Cook's  touring  party. 

In  contrast  with  this  Thomas  Cook  advertisement 
that  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  (No.  2)  may  well  be 

40 


CUSTOMER'S     SYMPATHY 

considered.  The  two  persons  here  represented  ap- 
proximate my  ideals.  They  seem  to  be  enjoying  the 
train  immensely.  I  believe  that  they  have  good  taste 


California 

wkere  every  montk  is  June,  is  kest 
reacked  on  tke  daily 

California  Limited 

TLc  only  train  between  Chicago  and  Southern  California 
exclusively  for  first-class  travel 


No.  2. —  They  are  enjoying  the  train. 

and  if  they  choose  the  California  Limited  for  their 
wedding  trip  that  train  would  certainly  be  desirable 
for  my  trips  too.  In  every  case  of  sympathy  we  imi- 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

tate  to  a  certain  degree  the  objects  of  our  sympathy. 
These  passengers  on  the  Santa  Fe  stimulate  me  to 
imitate  their  action,  i.  e.,  to  get  aboard  the  train  and 
enjoy  its  luxuries. 

TOO  FAT 

A  person  generally  knows 
-.lien    lie  is  becoming;  too 
fleshy.   ASA  rule,  however, 
he  sliuts  Ins  eyes  u>  the  (act. 
aad  believes  ii  10  be  only  tem- 
porary, until  he  suddenly  reahzes 
that  be  lias  ?-«med  many  pounds 
and  no  remedy  appears  to M forth- 
coining.  T^you.who  liave dulled 
into  tins  situation,  we  can  offer 
truUu  that  are  beyond  the  shadow 
ot    questioning.    We  can    bring 
down  your  weight,  not  by  elab- 
orate   and    expensive    redaction 
•emedies,  but  by  simple  treatment 
hat  brings  health  and  strength  in 
ts  tram.    Our  hies  are  hlleo  with 
hundreds,  yes  thousands  ol  tesn- 
roo no  Is  to  this  effect,  and  are  the 
best  guarantees  of  our  signal  suc- 
cess   H  ere  are  rwo  of  many.  Mrs. 
S.  Mann.  o{  La M one.  la,,  writes  : 
*tx  rears  n«o  I  )o«l7O  Ib*. 
of  Fa»  in  3  utonllt*  b.r  (tie 
II  it  1 1  mi-ilixxl  mi«l  I  l«;n«-  not 
Caiitcit  »»«  oMiire  iw  M«-IK!H 
•kite*. 

I  ACT  An  DflllMnC  Mr.  Hugo  Horn.  4-J9  E.  63rd 
LUSI  4U  rUUBUO,  s, ..  New  York  C.iy.  wnte»: 
"Three  years  ago  1  took  a  lour  month*'  treatment  and  wa» 
reducT^l  4O  Ibs.  m  weight.  I  have  oot  gained  any  in  weight 
since."  We  axe  giving  away  barrels 

and       Barrels  of 
Sample  Boxes  Free 

just  to  provf   how  effective,  pkasant 
and   s«le    ilit*  .remedy    is.    to  reduce 
wtighi      If  you  want  one.  send  us  yoot 
name  >iid  address  and  4<   to  cover  post- 
agf  etc      E.acli  box  is  mailed  in  a  plain 
sealed  wrapper  with  no  advertising  on  it 
to  indicate  what  it  contains.  Pnce.  laige 
sue  Uui,  $1  OO.  postpaid.    Correspond- 
ence strictly  conftdeniiAl 
Hall  (.  henucil  Co  .  Dem-  H.  M  .  Sc  Louis,  Mo. 

No.   3. —  Ridiculous  but  not   ludicrous. 


No.  3  is  a  reproduced  advertisement  of  a  fat-reduc- 
ing compound.  The  illustration  is  supposed  to  be 
ludicrous,  but  to  me  it  is  ridiculous.  The  fat  lady  in 
the  illustration  does  not  seem  to  make  the  "best  of  a 

42 


CUSTOMER'S     SYMPATHY 

bad  situation.  She  dresses  in  plaids,  which,  as  every 
corpulent  person  knows,  serve  but  to  increase  the  ap- 
parent size.  Both  the  lady  and  the  gentleman  are  the 
kind  of  people  whom  we  do  not  admire,  who  are  far 
from  our  ideals  and  who  present  but  few  elements  of 
likeness  to  ourselves.  The  material  advertised  might 
be  good  for  such  persons  as  the  illustration  depicts, 
but  that  is  no  reason  for  me  to  imitate  their  actions 
and  become  one  with  them  in  any  line  of  action. 

Xo.  4  is  a  reproduction  of  an  advertisement  of  a  fat- 
reducing  tablet,  and  the  illustration  is  that  of  a  lady 
who  at  once  begets  my  sympathy.  She  is  apparently 
making  the  best  of  a  bad  condition.  If  she  is  going 
to  use  the  Howard  Obesity  Ointment,  it  certainly 
must  be  worth  considering.  I  feel  sorry  for  her  and 
sympathize  with  her  in  her  affliction.  She  certainly 
feels  about  the  matter  just  as  I  should,  and  conse- 
quently it  is  easy  for  me  to  imagine  myself  in  her 
stead  and  to  feel  the  need  for  relief  from  obesity  and 
to  take  the  necessary  steps  to  secure  such  relief. 

The  tragedy  and  the  comedy  are  forms  of  litera- 
ture and  of  dramatic  representations  which  have  al- 
ways been  popular.  There  is  scarcely  a  tragedy  with- 
out its  comic  parts,  but  frequently  there  are  comedies 
without  any  element  of  the  tragic.  There  are  prob- 
ably more  great  tragedies  than  comedies,  but  it  is  true 
that  the  ordinary  men  and  women  read  more  comedy 
(including  the  comic  in  a  so-called  tragedy)  than 
tragedy,  and  that  the  same  holds  true  for  their  at- 
tendance upon  dramatic  representations. 

43 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 


In  a  comedy  the  rollicking  fun  may  be  introduced 
immediately,  and  the  reader  or  the  spectator  may  be 
brought  into  the  spirit  of  the  whole  at  once  withont 
danger  of  any  shock  to  the  sensibilities  because  of  the 


WASH  YOUR  FAT  AWAY 

Howard  Obesity  Ointment 


m 


Simple,  Harmless  and  Inexpensirft 

External  Remedy 

It  removes  fat  from  that  part  of 
the  body  to  which  it  is  applied 
-—restoring  the  natural 
bloom  of  3'outh,  leaving  no 
wrinkles  or  flabbiuess.  • 

No  nauseous  drugs  thaj 
ruin  the  stomach  ;  no  diet- 
ing; no  change  of  habits 
whatever. 

.         The    application    is    s5m- 
k-     plicity  itself.    You  merely, 
g,      apply  the  ointment  to  the' 
;  .part    you    wish'  reduced^ 
-.then    literally   "wash"  ih£ 
fat  away"  without  injury 
-  to  the  most  delicate  skin.  : 

Wo  Guarantee  ; 
Results 

On  receipt  of  request  we  will 
send  you  our  book  on  obesity," 
which  gives  cases  and  facts  of 
the  new  discovery—  a  cure  by 
absorption. 

All  CorrespfWdenoe  Considered 
<  onfldential. 


THE  HOWARD  CO. 

( 
Suite 


rephone  ¥V&  18th.  > 

<K  No.  «t  W.  a  2d  St. 

VK«  VOUK 


No.  4. —  She  begets  my  sympathy. 

suddenness  of  the  introduction  of  the  emotional  ele- 
ment. 

In.  tragedy  the  reader  or  the  spectator  is  usually  in- 
troduced gradually  into  the  emotional  tone  of  the 
whole.  The  hero  (if  it  be  the  hero  who  suffers)  is 

44 


CUSTOMER'S     SYMPATHY 

first  introduced,  and  then  after  we  feel  acquainted  with 
him  and  have  an  interest  in  him,  we  are  called  upon  to 
enter  into  his  sorrows  and  to  feel  with  him. 

In  a  political  campaign  the  politician  may  relate  the 
instances  of  wrong  and  oppression  for  which  the  op- 
posing party  is  responsible,  or  else  he  may  tell  of  the 
prosperity  and  good  cheer  brought  about  by  his  own 
party.  In  raising  money  to  found  a  charitable  institu- 
tion the  philanthropist  may  tell  of  the  squalor  and  mis- 
ery of  the  persons  in  the  district  in  which  the  institu- 
tion is  to  be  located,  or  else  he  may  tell  of  the  joys 
which  the  institution  will  bring  into  the  lives  of  the 
persons  concerned.  In  appealing  for  funds  to  carry 
on  the  missionary  work  in  Africa  the  minister  may 
describe  the  deplorable  and  almost  hopeless  condition 
of  the  natives,  or  else  he  may  tell  of  the  wonderful 
successes  of  the  missionaries  already  on  the  field,  and 
appeal  for  funds  to  continue  the  already  successful 
work.  It  certainly  is  questionable  which  method  the 
politician,  the  philanthropist,  the  minister,  etc.,  should 
follow.  As  far  as  my  personal  observations  go,  it 
seems  to  me  that  when  sympathy  for  sorrow  is  suc- 
cessfully awakened,  it  is  more  effective  in  bringing 
about  the  desired  action  than  is  sympathy  for  the  joys 
of  the  persons  concerned.  It  must  be  remembered, 
however,  that  the  persons  for  whom  the  appeal  is  be- 
ing made  in  all  these  cases  are  those  for  whom  the 
hearers  have  more  than  a  passing  interest,  and  the 
creating  of  this  interest  may  be  the  product  of  a  long 
process  of  education.  It  may  also  be  true  that  these 

"45 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 


most  successful  pathetic  appeals  would  be  avoided  in 
the  future  by  the  very  persons  who  had  been  moved 
most  effectively.  The  depiction  of  the  darker  sides 

DISEASED  LUNGS 


are  (he  mult  of  a  negltcted  coojh  .or  coUL 

It  1*  a  ({rave  mliUkt  to  nested  any  bron*  • 
chUI  affection.  You  may  have  in- 
cipient consumption  before 
you  realize  H. 

Th*  following  are  rital  questions : 
Haw  you  caught  a  cold  ?_ 
.Have  you  a.  tevere,  racking  cough f 
Is  your  throat  hoarte  and  tore* 
Do  you  tough  up  mueut? 
Are  you'haggard  and  lofingjletk? 

Thwe  are  ttnow  conditions,  which,  if  act  promptly 
corrected,  wilJ  aSect  TOOT  lungs  and  in  a  short  tin* 
you  will  to  oo  the  road  to  consumption: 

Thar*  It  a  aura  cars  for  a  cold  and  all  tha  abor. 
ailnwnta,  eraa  Incipient  consumption.^  Dr.  BolTs 
Cough  Syrup. .  It  is  known  the  world  o»er  u  a  fuaooa 
doctor's  preemption  that  haa  cored  thonunda  at 
cues.  It  la  prescribed  by  phy>icians  becau*  tftey 
know  it  hii  wed  many  p«opl»  from  an  earlr  pin. 
Don't  delay ;  ate  BOW  tefort  too  IaU  UM  caltbnUd 

Dr.  Bull's 
Cough  Syrup 

"-    • 


™  ^^'JSfHL 

*H£t£t£SH  SlTtopl!!!*^  ."  ?™  d« "  •«-  w.  NO  otk* 

•ipertaent  with  other  »medi«, 


^_ 

e'^owliag  troii.Tiulu'rdo  it  .         o 

«irrq«aUttoi.  and  for  to  r.a.oa  ,o.  cannot  afford  to 


AVOID  SUBSTITUTES.  a£S 


No.    5. 


An    outrage    upon   the    reader's    sen- 
sibility. 


of  life  may  be  very  effective,  but  the  depiction  of  the 
rosier  hues  is  more  attractive  to  most  people. 

It  is  said  that  savages  laugh  more  loudly  than  per- 
sons in  civilized  countries,  and  in  general  loud  or 
boisterous  expressions  of  pleasure  are  not  regarded 

46 


CUSTOMER'S     SYMPATHY 

as  in  good  taste.  Culture  and  good  breeding  have 
decreed  that  we  shall  not  express  our  griefs  in  the 
sight  or  hearing  of  others.  In  fact,  it  is  not  in  good 
form  to  express  grief  at  all.  \Ye  are  not  allowed  to 
parade  our  sorrows  before  the  gaze  of  the  public.  It 
seems  to  be  assumed  that  everyone  has  sorrows  enough 
of  his  own  and  therefore  should  not  be  called  upon  to 
share  the  sorrows  of  others.  This  attitude  towards 
expressions  of  grief  seems  to  be  quite  universal,  and  is 
taken  so  much  as  a  matter  of  course  that  we  feel  of- 
fended when  persons  seek  to  awaken  our  sympathy 
by  any  form  of  external  manifestation.  Even  in 
dramatic  representations  the  expressions  which  accom- 
pany sorrow  or  pain  are  largely  subordinated  to  ap- 
parent attempts*  to  stifle  such  manifestations.  \Ye 
weep  more  readily  with  those  who  seem  to  have  great 
cause  for  weeping,  but  restrain  it.  than  for  those  who 
give  way  to  their  feelings.  This  attitude  towards  the 
manifestations  of  sorrow  often  causes  us  to  be  offended 
by  manifestations  of  suffering.  Thus  in  Xo.  5  there 
is  an  appeal  made  to  our  sympathy  in  such  a  rude 
manner  that  we  feel  angered  with  the  advertiser,  if  not 
with  the  publisher,  for  allowing  us  to  be  insulted  by  such 
an  audacious  attack  upon  our  sensibilities. 

One   function  of  representations  of 

ppea  s  to     £eeling.s  and  ernotions  is  to  attract  at- 
Sympathy  .  "       _,          XT       .    .  .' 

\  tention.     Thus    AO.    6   is   one   of   the 

Attract 

Attention      most   attractlve  advertisements   in  the 

current  issue  of  our  magazines.     The 

smile  is  very  contagious  and  the  whole  effect  is  so 

47 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

clear  and  so  pleasing  that  I  can  scarcely  turn  the  page 
without  stopping  to  look  at  it. 

As  far  as  the  attention  value  is  concerned,  equally 
good  results  may  be  secured  by  representations  of 
sorrow.  Thus  in  No.  7  sorrow  is  depicted  in  such  a 


He  irtll  be  delighted  if  you  present  Ulna  with 


JJonMiiTs  Self-  Fling  Pen. 

He  knows   it  is  the  highest  quality,  most 


automatically  or  that  successfully  feeds 
copying  ink. 

Mrs.  GroVer  Cleveland  Says: 

Princeton,  March  t2th,  1903. 
r    Tour  pens  would  be  pretty  stir*-  to 
|j    have  larpre  sales  here  it  they  were 
.      once  really  known. 


OUR  FREE  BOOKS  «ive  further  Convincing 
evidence,  and  fifty  original  suKjrestionaforcor- 
greeting  commoa  errors  in  handwriting. 


The  CoDklin  .Pen  Co. 


No.    6.— A    successful    appeal    to    sympathy    for 
pleasure. 


way  that  it  succeeds  in  attracting  the  attention  of  the 
most  casual  reader  of  advertisements. 


CUSTOMER'S     SYMPATHY 

Nos.  6  and  7  are  reproductions  of  advertisements 
which  represent  the  opposite  sorts  of  feelings,  and 
each  awakens  its  appropriate  kind  of  sympathy,  and 
yet  it  is  difficult  to  tell  which  advertisement  has  the 
greater  attentive  value.  Personally,  I  enter  into  the 


Pelman  System  o!  Memory  Training 


The  Pelman  School  of  Memory  Training, 

1661  Ma.onic  Tempi..  CHICAGO.  - 


No.    7. —  A   successful   appeal   to    sympathy   for 
sorrow. 


pleasure  of  the  smiling  young  man  more  fully  than  I 
enter  into  the  sorrow  of  the  grief-stricken  one. 
These  examples  are  sufficient  to  show  that  appeals 

49 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

to  the  sympathy,  either  for  pleasure  or  for  pain,  may 
be  used  with  great  profit  by  the  advertiser.  We  are 
not  cold,  logical  machines,  but  we  are  all  human  be- 
ings, with  hearts  in  our  breasts  and  blood  in  our 
veins,  and  we  enjoy  the  depictions  of  real  life  with  all 
its  joys  and  sorrows.  Whether  the  dark  or  the  bright 
side  of  life  offers  the  most  material  for  the  advertiser 
may  be  questionable,  but  there  is  certainly  no  question 
as  to  the  advisability  of  appeals  to  the  sympathies. 

The  time  is  coming,  and  indeed  has  come,  when  the 
advertising  pages  of  our  publications  must  be  edited 
as  carefully  as  the  pages  of  the  literary  department. 
The  advertising  manager  should  not  only  refuse  ob- 
jectionable advertisers,  but  he  should  refuse  all  ob- 
jectionable advertisements.  It  is  quite  possible  that 
an  advertisement  which  might  be  good  for  the  indi- 
vidual advertiser  would  be  injurious  to  the  many  who 
are  occupying  space  in  the  same  publication. 

The  advertisement  reproduced  in  No.  5  may  be  good 
for  the  firm  placing  it.  It  may  be  attractive  to  such 
persons  as  need  the  cough  syrup,  but  it  may  be  so  dis- 
gusting to  all  other  persons  that  it  renders  them  an- 
tagonistic and  unsympathetic  to  all  the  advertisements 
seen  for  minutes  after  they  have  looked  at  this  one. 
It  might  be  a  very  profitable  advertisement  for  Dr. 
Bull,  but  the  advertising  manager,  by  accepting  it,  has 
reduced  the  value  of  all  other  advertising  spaces.  The 
effect  which  would  be  produced  on  adjoining  spaces  by 
such  advertisements  as  are  shown  in  Nos.  i,  3  and 
7  might  also  be  questionable. 

50 


CUSTOMER'S     SYMPATHY 

If  you  knew  that  one  magazine  carried  advertise- 
ments which  were  pathetic  in  their  illustrations  and 
descriptions  and  that  another  magazine  carried  only 
bright  and  cheerful  advertisements,  which  one  would 
you  pick  up  and  look  through?  I  believe  that  most 
persons  would  choose  the  magazine  advertisements 
that  present  only  the  more  cheerful  aspects  of  life.  If 
such  is  the  case,  it  is  the  duty  of  advertising  man- 
agers to  see  to  it  that  the  advertising  pages  of  their 
publications  are  rendered  attractive. 


V 
HUMAN  INSTINCTS 


WE  are  all  accustomed  to  think  of  the  actions  of 
animals  as  instinctive,  but  we  are  inclined  to  object 
to  the  application  to  human  actions  of  anything  which 
would  obliterate  the  distinctions  between  human  and 
animal  actions,  and  we  do  not  usually  speak  of  the 
actions  of  man' as  being  instinctive. 

No  one  can  carefully  observe  the  actions  of  animals 
without  being  impressed  with  both  the  similarities  and 
the  differences  between  human  and  animal  actions.  In 
his  native  and  ordinary  environment  the  animal  shows 
a  cleverness  of  action  which  is  hardly  to  be  distin- 
guished from  that  of  a  man.  In  a  new  environment 
and  in  the  presence  of  unfamiliar  objects,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  animal,  displays  a  stupidity  which  is 
most  astounding. 

The  animal  has  but  few  instincts,  and  these  few  are 
sufficient  for  his  ordinary  environment,  but  in  the 
presence  of  environments  unusual  to  his  species  he  is 
at  a  loss  as  to  his  actions.  Man  possesses  many  more 
instincts  than  the  animal  and  in  addition  has  reason, 
which  can  control  his  instinctive  actions  and  thus  ob- 
literate their  instinctive  appearance,  although  such  ac- 
tions are  fundamentally  instinctive. 

An  instinct  is  usually  defined  as  the  faculty  of  act- 
ing in  such  a  way  as  to  produce  certain  ends,  without 
foresight  of  the  ends,  and  without  previous  education 

52 


HUMAX     INSTINCTS 


in  the  performance.  It  is  in  this  sense  that  the  term 
is  used  throughout  this  discussion. 

The  following  quotation  from  Professor  James  will 
undoubtedly  prove  of  interest : 

"  XOK;  ivliy  do  the  "carious  animals  do  what  seem  to 
us  such  strange  things,  in  the  presence  of  such  out- 
landish stimuli?  Why  does  the  hen,  for  example, 
submit  herself  to  the  tedium  of  incubating  such  a  fear- 
fully uninteresting  set  of  objects  as  a  nestful  of  eggs, 
unless  she  has  some  sort  of  a  prophetic  inkling  of  the 
results  ?  We  can  only  interpret  the  instincts  of  brutes 
by  what  we  know  of  instincts  in  ourselves.  Why  do 
men  always  lie  down,  when  they  can,  on  soft  beds 
rather  than  on  hard  floors?  Why  do  they  sit  around 
the  stove  on  a  cold  day?  Why  do  they  prefer  saddle 
of  mutton  and  champagne  to  hard-tack  and  ditch- 
water?  vWhy  does  the  maiden  interest  the  youth  so 
that  every  thing  about  her  seems  more  important  and 
significant  than  anything  else  in  the  world?  Nothing 
more  can  be  said  than  that  these  are  human  ways,  and 
that  every  creature  likes  its  own  ways,  and  takes  to 
following  them  as  a  matter  of  course.  Science  may 
come  and  consider  these  ways,  and  find  that  most  of 
them  are  useful.  But  it  is  not  for  the  sake  of  their 
utility  that  they  are  followed  t15ut  because  at  the  mo- 
ment of  following  them  we  feel  that  that  is  the  only 
appropriate  and  natural  thing  to  do.  Not  one  man 
in  a  billion,  when  taking  his  dinner,  ever  thinks  of 
utility.  He  eats  because  the  food  tastes  good  and 
makes  him  want  more.  If  you  ask  him  zvhy  he 

S3 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

should  want  to  eat  more  of  what  tastes  like  that,  in- 
stead of  revering-  you  as  a  philosopher,  he  would  prob- 
ably laugh  at  you  as  a  fool.  The  connection  between 
the  savory  sensation  and  the  act  it  awakens  is  for  him 
absolute  and  needs  no  proof  but  its  own  evidence.  It 
takes,  in  short,  what  Berkeley  calls  a  mine}  debauched 
by  learning  to  carry  the  process  of  making  :the  natural 
seem  strange,  so  far  as  to  ask  for  the  why  of  any  in- 
stinctive human  act.  To  the  metaphysician  alone  can 
occur  such  questions  as:  Why  do  we  smile,  when 
pleased,  and  not  scowl?  Why  are  we  unable  to  talk 
to  a  crowd  as  we  talk  to  a  single  friend  ?  Why  does  a 
particular  maiden  turn  our  wits  so  upside-down  ?  The 
common  man  can  only  say,  '  Of  course  we  smile,  of 
course  our  heart  palpitates  at  the  sight  of  the  crowd, 
pf  course  we  love  the  maiden,  that  beautiful  soul  clad 
in  that  perfect  form,  so  palpably  and  flagrantly  made 
from  all  eternity  to  be  loved ! ' 

"  And  so,  probably,  does  each  animal  feel  about  the 
particular  things  it  tends  to  do  in  the  presence  of  par- 
ticular objects.  To  the  lion  it  is  the  lioness  which  is 
made  to  be  loved ;  to  the  bear,  the  she-bear.  To  the 
broody  hen  the  notion  would  probably  seem  monstrous 
that  there  should  be  a  creature  in  the  world  to  whom 
a  nestful  of  eggs  was  not  the  utterly  fascinating  and 
precious  and  never-to-be-too-much-sat-upon  object 
which  it  is  to  her. 

"  Thus  we  may  be  sure  that,  however  mysterious 
some  animals'  instincts  may  appear  to  us,  our  instincts 
will  appear  no  less  mysterious  to  them.  And  we  may 

54 


HUMAN     INSTINCTS 


conclude  that,  to  the  animal  which  obeys  it,  every  im- 
pulse and  every  step  of  every  instinct  shines  with  its 
own  sufficient  light,  and  seems  at  the  moment  the  only 
eternally  right  and  proper  thing  to  do.  It  is  done  for 
its  own  sake  exclusively." 

Every  instinctive  action  is  concrete  and  specific,  and 
is  the  response  of  an  individual  directed  toward  some 
object.  There  is  a  great  diversity  in  the  methods  of 
classifying  instincts,  and  any  method  is  justifiable  if  it 
is  true  and  if  it  is  helpful  in  making  clear  the  nature  of 
instincts,  or  is  of  service  in  any  way.  The  classifica- 
tion we  propose  is  justified  in  that  it  is  true  to  the 
facts,  and  that  it  groups  these  actions  in  such  a  way 
that  they  may  be  better  understood,  and  that  the 
knowledge  thus  secured  may  be  utilized. 

As  was  said  above,  every  instinctive  action  is  di- 
rected toward  some  object,  but  the  effect  of  the  action 
is  to  bring  the  object  into  a  relation  which  will  make  it 
helpful  toward  the  preservation  or  furtherance  of  the 
interests  of 'the  individual  or  of  the  species.  Thus 
when  an  animal  acts  according  to  his  "  hunting  in- 
stinct "  he  acts  toward  his  victim  in  such  a  way  that 
he  makes  the  victim  serve  his  interests  in  providing 
food  for  himself  and,  perhaps,  for  others  of  his  species. 
If  instincts  may  be  classified  according  as  they  tend 
toward  the  preservation  and  furtherance  of  the  inter- 
ests of  the  individual,  our  classification  will  be  based 
upon  the  interests  of  the  individual,  which  are  pre- 
served and  furthered,  rather  than  upon  the  manner  of 
the  preservation  and  furtherance. 

55 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

The  first  interest  of  the  individual  which  is  instinc- 

tively preserved  and  furthered  is  his  material  posses- 

sions.   The  individual  acts  instinctively 

e    ns  me     towar(j  everv  material  thing  which  he 

to  Preserve  M  «•        •>  »     r\c     n 

,  _      ,        may  call      my      or      mine.       Of  all 
and  Further 


the  Material  the  material  thinSs  to  whlch 
Possessions  t^le  term  my  or  m^ne»  there  is  nothing 
to  which  the  term  seems  so  applicable 
as  to  my  body.  This  is  so  intimately  mine  that  the 
distinction  between  it  and  myself  or  me  cannot  be 
definitely  drawn.  I  avoid  extremes  of  temperature, 
not  because  I  think  that  thus  I  can  preserve 
and  further  the  development  of  the  body,  but 
because  it  is  pleasant  for  me  to  act  that  way.  I 
do  not  refuse  to  drink  stagnant  water  and  seek  run- 
ning water  because  I  think  it  is  best  for  my  bodily 
health  to  do  so,  but  because  I  like  the  taste  of  running 
water  and  not  of  stagnant  water.  I  do  not  refuse 
grass,  green  fruit,  and  decayed  vegetables  and  seek 
beefsteak,  ripe  fruit  and  fresh  vegetables  merely  or 
principally  because  the  former  are  injurious  and  the 
latter  beneficial  to  my  bodily  health.  I  decide  on  what 
I  shall  eat  and  drink  according  as  it  pleases  or  dis- 
pleases me  in  the  eating.  The  lower  animals  prob- 
ably never  do  anything  for  the  sake  of  the  preserva- 
tion and  furtherance  of  their  bodies,  but  their  instincts 
guide  them  so  accurately  that  it  seems  to  us  they 
must  do  some  of  these  things  with  that  in  view.  They 
choose  the  right  food,  the  right  drink,  the  right  com- 

56 


HUMAN     INSTINCTS 


panions,  etc.,  etc.,  because  these  things  seem  pleasant 
to  them. 

Herbert  Spencer  was  of  the  opinion  that  mankind 

could  follow  instinct  in  the  choice  of  food,  drink,  rest, 

p      ,          exercise,  temperature,  etc.,  and  that  un- 

T  der  normal  conditions  the  choice  would 

Instincts 

be  such  as  would  most  certainly  con- 
duce to  the  highest  preservation  and  development  of 
the  body.  He  believed  that  our  instincts  are  so 
strong  and  so  true  that,  when  not  perverted,  they 
will  act  wisely  in  the  presence  of  the  appropriate 
stimuli,  and  that  the  bodily  interests  will  best  be  fur- 
thered by  passively  following  such  instincts.  He 
would  hold  that  if  that  which  is  good  for  the  body  be 
presented  in  the  proper  light,  we  shall,  of  necessity, 
choose  it  and  make  the  appropriate  effort  to  secure  it. 
If  I  think  anything  would  taste  good,  I  cannot  keep 
from  desiring  it.  I  do  not  stop  to  consider  whether 
it  would  be  good  for  me  or  not.  If  it  tastes  good, 
that  is  sufficient.  Nature  has  provided  me  with  an 
instinctive  desire  to  eat  any  and  everything  that  tastes 
good,  and,  in  general,,  such  an  instinct  works  wholly 
good.  I  am  a  reasoning  creature,  and  it  might  be\ 
supposed  that  I  would  select  from  the  different  foods  | 
those  which  were  best  for  my  health,  irrespective  of  ! 
their  tastes.  I  find  that  my  instinct  is  stronger  than 
my  reason  in  choosing  what  I  shall  eat.  In  the  ad- 
vertisement of  Karo  (No.  i)  is  this  sentence :  ".  .  . 
it  makes  you  eat,"  and  also  this:  ".  .  .  gives  a 

57 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

relish  you  can't  resist."  I  should  buy  Karo  at  once 
if  I  believed  it  would  be  so  enticing  that  it  would 
make  me  go  contrary  to  my  reason  and  eat  it  even  if 
my  better  judgment  told  me  I  should  not.  If  I  had 
been  afflicted  for  years  with  indigestion  I  might  do 
otherwise,  but  most  persons  have  not  yet  been  thus 
afflicted,  and  I  feel  confident  that  food  advertisements 
have  greatly  improved  during  recent  years,  for  they 


A  Breakfast  Treat 
That  Makes  You  Eat 

K*o  Com  Synip  a  the  pure,  golden  essence  o«  con 

with  all  the  nutritive  elements  so  characteristic  of  thir 

eiwrgy.producing.  strength-giving  cereal  retained.    Its 

flavor  is  sognnd.  deliuous.  so  different,  it  main  you  cam 

Adds  zest  to  the  gnddle  cakes  an,l  gives  a  relish  >oi» 

n't  resist,  no  matter  how  poor  the  appente  may  he. 

ikd»    the   mornmg   meal  inviting      It's  ///<•  frnt 

•cad  fo'daih  bread.  S"UI  m  air -tight.  Irwtion-top  tins 


CORN  SYfil/P 

tSZlSFZfSiZ 

No.   1. —  An  appeal  to  the  instinct  of  bodily  preservation. 

are  emphasizing  more  and  more  the  taste  of  the  food, 
and  are  making  health  qualities  secondary,  while  price 
is  being  emphasized  less. 

The  sense  organs  (the  organs  of  sight,  sound,  taste, 
smell,  temperature  and  touch)  are  the  guardians  of 
the  body,  and  whatever  appears  good  to  these  sen- 
tinels is  instantly  desired,  and  ordinarily  such  things 
tend  to  the  preservation  and  furtherance  of  the  wel- 
fare of  the  body,  but  we  choose  them  simply  because 
they  appear  pleasing  and  not  for  ulterior  ends. 

58 


HUMAN     INSTINCTS 


My  clothes  are  in  a  special  sense  mine.  \Ye  come 
to  think  of  them  almost  as  of  our  very  bodies.  How 

a  small  child  will  cry  if  his  hat  blows 
Clothing 
-r      .  off  or  is  taken !     In  our  modern  forms 

of  civilization  this  instinct  is  weakened 
by  the  fact  that  we  have  so  many  clothes  and  change 
them  so  often  that  we  hardly  have  time  to  become  at- 
tached to  any  article  of  raiment  before  it  is  discarded. 
The  close  personal  attachment  which  we  have  for  our 
clothing  is  beautifully  brought  out  by  Professor 
James:  "We  so  k  appropriate  our  clothes  and  iden- 
tify ourselves  with  them  that  there  are  few  of  us  who, 
if  asked  to  choose  between  having  a  beautiful  body, 
clad  in  raiment  perpetually  shabby  and  having  an  ugly 
form  always  spotlessly  attired,  would  not  hesitate  a 
moment." 

\Ve  are  all  greatly  attracted  by  the  protection  and 
ornamentation  supplied  by  clothing1.  The  amount  of 
time  which  most  women  and  some  men  spend  on  the 
subject  of  dress  might  seem  absurd  to  a  critic,  but 
such  are  our  human  ways,  and  they  seem  good  to  us. 
Magazines  devoted  to  fashions,  shop-windows  deco- 
rated with  beautiful  garments,  advertisements  of  cloth- 
ing —  all  these  have  an  unending  attraction  for  us. 
Clothing  advertisements  are  read  with  avidity,  and  it 
has  been  discovered  that  all  forms  of  clothing  can  be 
advertised  with  profit  by  means  of  the  printed  page. 

The  most  careful  observers  of  the  actions  of  bees 
assure  us  that  the  little  industrious  bee  gathers  and 
stores  away  the  honey  simply  because  she  enjoys  the 

59 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

process,  and  not  because  she  foresees  the  necessity  for 

Hoarding  the  honey  which  will  come  upon  her 
and  during  the  wintry  months.  To  say 

Proprietary  that  the  young  bee  has  a  prophetic  in- 
Instinct  sight  of  the  coming  winter  is  to  at- 
tribute to  it  wisdom  which  is  far  above  human  wisdom. 

Likewise  the  squirrel  is  said  to  collect  nuts  and 
store  them  away  simply  because  that  is  the  veiy  ac- 
tion which  is  in  itself  more  delightful  than  any  other 
possible  action.  The  squirrel  does  not  store  the  nuts 
so  that  he  will  have  them  to  eat  during  the  winter, 
but  when  the  winter  comes  on  and  nothing  better  is 
at  hand  of  course  he  will  eat  them.  If  he  had  not 
stored  them  he  would  have  starved  during  the  winter, 
but  he  did  not  store  them  in  order  that  he  might  not 
be  reduced  to  starvation.  As  far  as  the  individual 
squirrel  is  concerned,  it  was  purely  accidental  that  his 
storing  the  nuts  provided  against  starvation. 

There  are  many  species  of  animals  which  thus  col- 
lect and  store  away  articles,  and  in  some  cases — in  an 
unusual  environment — the  results  are  very  peculiar. 
Professor  Silliman  thus  describes  the  hoardings  of  a 
wood-rat  in  California  made  in  an  empty  stove  of  an 
unoccupied  house: 

"  I  found  the  outside  to  be  composed  entirely  of 
spikes,  all  laid  with  symmetry,  so  as  to  present  the 
points  of  the  nails  outward.  In  the  center  of  this 
mass  was  the  nest,  composed  of  finely  divided  fibers  of 
hemp-packing.  Interlaced  with  the  spikes  were  the 
following:  About  two  dozen  knives,  forks,  and 

60 


HUMAN     INSTINCTS 


spoons ;  all  the  butcher's  knives,  three  in  number ;  a 
large  carving-knife,  fork  and  steel ;  several  large  plugs 
of  tobacco,  an  old  purse  containing  some  silver, 
matches  and  tobacco;  nearly  all  the  tools  from  the 
tool-closets,  with  several  large  augers,  all  of  which 
must  have  been  transported  some  distance,  as  they 
were  originally  stored  in  different  parts  of  the  house. 
The  outside  casing  of  a  silver  watch  was  disposed  of 
in  one  part  of  the  pile,  the  glass  of  the  same  watch  in 
another,  and  the  works  in  still  another." 

There  are  very  few  persons  who  at  some  time  in 
their  lives  have  not  made  a  collection  of  some  sort. 
The  little  girls  who  make  collections  of  buttons  be- 
come exceedingly  enthusiastic  in  their  endeavors  to 
make  large  collections,  and,  of  course,  if  possible,  to 
secure  the  most  beautiful.  If  all  the  girls  of  the  neigh- 
borhood are  making  collections  too,  the  interest  is 
greatly  heightened.  It  is  rather  remarkable  how  all 
the  children  of  a  neighborhood  may  become  interested 
in  collecting  such  things  as  cancelled  postage-stamps. 
Such  a  thing  would  hardly  be  possible  if  the  children 
did  not  have  an  instinctive  desire  to  make  collections. 

Making  collections  and  hoarding  is  not  confined 
to  children,  but  is  common  to  all  adults?  Occasion- 
ally some  individual  becomes  absorbed  in  the  process 
more  than  others  and  the  results  seem  to  us  to  be 
ludicrous,  but  they  are  instructive  rather  than  ludi- 
crous. The  following  is  a  description  of  the  hoard- 
ings of  a  miser's  den  which  was  emptied  by  the  Boston 
City  Board  of  Health: 

61 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

"  He  gathered  old  newspapers,  wrapping-paper,  in- 
capacitated umbrellas,  canes,  pieces  of  common  wire, 
cast-off  clothing,  empty  barrels,  pieces  of  iron,  old 
bones,  battered  tinware,  fractured  pots,  and  bushels 
of  such  miscellany  as  is  to  be  found  only  at  the  city 
'  dump.'  The  empty  barrels  were  filled,  shelves  were 
filled,  every  hole  and  corner  was  filled,  and  in  order 
to  make  more  storage-room,  '  the  hermit '  covered  his 
store-room  with  a  network  of  ropes,  and  hung  the 
ropes  as  full  as  they  could  hold  of  his  curious  collec- 
tions. There  was  nothing  one  could  think  of  that 
wasn't  in  that  room.  As  a  wood-sawyer,  the  old  man 
had  never  thrown  away  a  saw-blade  or  a  wood- 
buck.  The  bucks  were  rheumatic  and  couldn't  stand 
up,  and  the  saw-blades  were  worn  down  to  almost 
nothing  in  the  middle.  Some  had  been  actually  worn 
in  two,  but  the  ends  were  carefully  saved  and  stored 
away.  As  a  coal-heaver,  the  old  man  had  never  cast 
off  a  worn-out  basket,  and  there  were  dozens  of  the 
remains  of  the  old  things,  patched  up  with  canvas 
and  rope-yarns  in  the  store-room.  There  were  at 
least  two  dozen  old  hats,  fur,  cloth,  silk  and  straw,  etc." 

The  man  who  could  make  such  a  collection  as  this 
is  a  miser,  and  he  is  despised  for  being  such.  He  had 
too  great  a  zeal  for  collecting  and  hoarding,  and  he 
allowed  this  zeal  to  obliterate  the  other  possible  inter- 
ests of  life.  We  all  seem  inclined  to  keep  bits  of 
useless  finery  and  pieces  of  useless  apparatus.  The 
desire  is  often  not  yielded  to,  and  the  objects  are 
thrown  away  because  their  presence  becomes  a  nuis- 

62 


HUMAN     INSTINCTS 


ance.  We  all  like  to  collect  money,  and  the  fact  that 
it  is  useful  and  that  others  are  making  collections  too 
merely  tends  to  increase  the  instinctive  desire  to  col- 
lect. The  octogenarian  continues  to  collect  money 
with  unabated  zeal,  although  he  may  be  childless,  and 
the  chief  dread  of  his  life  is  that  his  despised  relatives 
may  secure  his  money  when  he  is  gone.  He  does  not 
desire  that  which  money  will  secure,  but  the  obtaining 
and  holding  the  money  is  sufficient  stimulus  to  him, 
even  if  every  acquired  dollar  makes  his  difficulties 
greater  by  adding  new  responsibilities.  No  miser  is 
aware  of  the  fact  that  he  collects  for  the  pleasure  he 
gets  out  of  the  collecting  and  the  keeping.  He  imag- 
ines that  he  collects  these  things  because  of  their  use- 
fulness. He  may  think  that  each  thing  he  collects 
will  come  handy  in  some  emergency;  but  that  is  not 
the  ground  of  his  collecting,  although  it  may  increase 
the  tendency,  and  also  make  it  seem  reasonable  to 
himself.  It  might  be  insulting  to  a  business  man  to 
tell  him  that  he  was  laboring  for  money  merely  be- 
cause of  the  pleasure  he  receives  in  the  gathering  and 
keeping  of  it.  Indeed,  such  a  statement  would  ordi- 
narily be  but  partially  true,  for,  although  the  propri- 
etary instinct  may  play  a  part,  it  certainly  is  not  a 
complete  explanation.  All  persons  everywhere  are 
tempted  by  a  possibility  of  gain.  s< 

Our  proprietary  instincts  may  be  made  use  of  by  the 
advertiser  in  many  ways.  The  irresponsible  adver- 
tiser has  been  able  to  play  upon  this  instinct  of.  the 
public  by  offering  something  for  nothing,  as  is  so  fre- 

63 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

quently  done  in  the  cheaper  forms  of  advertising  me- 
dia. The  remarkable  thing  about  this  is  that  the  pub- 
lic should  be  deluded  by  such  a  pretense.  The  desire 
to  gain  seems  to  overcome  the  better  judgment  of 
the  more  ignorant  public  and  they  become  the  victims 
of  all  sorts  of  treachery.  The  reputable  advertiser 
should  not  disregard  this  instinct,  and  might  often 
make  it  possible  to  minister  to  it  with  great  profit,  both 
to  himself  and  to  the  public,  which  he  might  thus  in- 
terest in  what  he  has  to  offer.  The  following  adver- 
tisement of  the  American  Reserve  Bond  Co.  (No.  2) 
is  an  attempt  to  appeal  to  this  instinct. 

Why  will  a  man   endure  hardship   for  days,   en- 
danger his  life,  and  incur  great  expense,  merely  for 

the  chance  of  a  shot  at  a  poor  inof- 
The  Hunting          .  V 

Instinct  *ensive  deer?  It  certainly  is  not  be- 
cause of  the  value  of  the  venison  or  of 
the  hide.  It  is  not  uncommon  for  a  sportsman  to 
give  away  his  game  as  soon  as  he  has  killed  it.  What 
he  wanted  was  the  pleasure  of  killing  the  game.  Why 
will  a  man  wade  in  streams  from  morning  till  night, 
or  hold  a  baited  hook  for  hours  in  the  burning  sun? 
It  certainly  is  not  because  fish  are  valuable;  neither 
does  he  do  it  because  he  believes  that  it  is  good  for  his 
health.  While  engaged  in  the  act  he  is  perfectly  in- 
different to  his  health,  and  such  a  thought  would  be 
incongruous  to  the  whole  situation.  We  like  to  hunt 
and  to  fish  because  we  have  inherited  the  hunting  in- 
stinct from  remote  ancestors.  For  the  civilized  man 
such  an  instinct  is  often  worthless,  but  to  our  an- 


HUMAN     IXSTIXCTS 


cestors  it  was  necessary  for  the  preservation  of  life. 
The  charm  which  a  gun  or  a  fishing  tackle  has  for 


A  $10  Nest  Egg 
Starts  You  Saving 
and  Making  Money 

If  you  have  a  $10.00  "nest  egg"and  want  to  see  your  money 
grow  raftiJly,  draw  large  semi-annual  dividends,  and  earn  a  band- 
some  turplus,  our  plan  will  interest  you. 

This  is  a  great  clearing  house  for  savings-profits. 
We   have  taught  over  200,000  people  how  to  make  savings  grow 
yield  la,ge  dn;bnJs. 

Already    we    have   distributed   over  three  and  one  kalf  millifu  of 
rt  to  the  money-savers  of  this  country! 

The  earning  power  of  .coney  is  so  much  greater  than  3%  a  year, 
that  a  banker  who  has  the  "use  of  savir.es  for  that  paltry  sum.  soon 
grows  rich  from  the  profit*  tnat  pile  up  on  top  of  the  amount  given  you 
iorjour  share. 

He  turns  it  over  and  over,  and  it  grows  with  every  turn. 
—  Because   he   has   inside   knowledge   of    its  earning  power,  and  he 
•  uses  that  knowledge  for  his  own  private  gain. 

By  our  plan,  you  get  your  full  share  of  dividends.  5%  guaranteed/ 
you  get  all  of  the  principal  and  a  share  of  the  Surplus  earnings  of  the 
company. 

We  have  assets  of  over  three  and  a  half  millions  of  dollars,  with 
the  largest  Slate  Deposits  of  any  Bond 
Company  in  the  World. 

We  are  guided  by  the  experience  of 
yer  fourteen  year*  in  the  handling  of 
ivings    investments.     Our   business   is 
under  the  direct  control  of  various  state 


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If  you  honestly  want  to  save,  we 
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^  _ 

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Dept    14  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

LaSalle  and  Washington  Su.,  Chicago. 


No.  2. —  A  successful  appeal  to  the  hoarding  instinct. 

a  civilized  man  is  a  most  remarkable  thing.  The  an- 
nual sale  of  rifles,  revolvers,  fishing  tackle,  fishing 
boats,  etc.,  is  beyond  anything  which  could  be  attrib- 

65 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

uted  to  their  practical  need.  The  hunting  instinct 
shows  itself  in  our  fiendish  desire  for  conflict.  The 
more  ferocious  the  animal  and  the  "  gamier  "  the  fish, 
the  greater  is  our  delight.  The  conflict  may  be  with 
a  man,  and  then  the  fiercer  the  struggle  the  better  we 
like  it.  A  street-brawl  never  fails  to  attract  a  crowd. 
The  prize-fighter  is  always  accompanied  by  the  admir- 
ing glances  of  the  populace.  The  accounts  of  atro- 
cious crimes  are  read  by  those  who  are  ashamed  to 
confess  it. 

The  advertiser  of  guns,  revolvers,  fishing  tackle, 
etc.,  meets  with  a  ready  response  from  the  youth  be- 
cause he  appeals  directly  to  his  powerful  instincts. 
The  following  advertisement  of  Stevens  Rifles  (No.  3) 
is  a  good  illustration  of  an  appeal  to  the  hunting 
instinct : 


No.  3. —  A  successful  appeal  to  the  hunting  instinct. 

The   constructive   instinct   shows   itself   in   a   well- 
known  manner  in  the  bee  and  the  beaver.     The  same 

66 


HUMAN     INSTINCTS 


instinct  is  common  to  man,  but  the  results  are  not  so 

uniform.     We    all    like    to    construct 
The  Con-  .,    . 

things;  if  they  are  already  constructed 
structmg 
j      .  then  we  want  to  remodel  or  .improve 

them.  There  is  hardly  a  man  who  at 
least  once  has  not  been  conscious  of  a  strong  desire 
to  build  a  house.  If  he  purchases  one  already  con- 
structed, then  he  is  not  content  till  he  has  remodeled 
it  in  some  way.  Indeed,  if  he  has  built  it  himself  he 
may  make  improvements  upon  it  annually.  If  it  is 
not  so  that  he  can  make  more  changes  the  home  loses 
interest,  and  is  likely  to  be  abandoned.  As  soon  as 
the  possibility  of  improving  a  home  has  passed  it  seems 
that  both  the  host  and  hostess  seek  excuses  for  going 
north  or  south  or  traveling  abroad. 

In  our  urban  civilization  the  men  are  deprived  of 
one  of  the  great  pleasures  of  life.  We  are  shut  in  as 
children,  and  are  not  allowed  to  "  make  a  muss  "  by 
our  attempts  at  construction,  and  in  our  maturity  the 
instinct  is  held  in  check  by  lack  of  exercise.  If  we 
had  some  opportunity  to  make  things  with  our  hands 
we  should  secure  the  best  possible  form  of  recreation 
and  diversion  from  the  anxieties  of  business  life.  The 
women  have  all  sorts  of  fancy-work  with  which  they 
may  amuse  themselves.  Manual-training  and  do- 
mestic science  are  offering  an  opportunity  to  school- 
children to  use  their  hands  and  give  expression  to  this 
instinctive  desire  to  construct  things. 

The  advertiser  can  appeal  in  many  ways  to  this 
instinct,  and  is  sure  to  find  ready  attention  and  a  wil- 

67 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

lingness  to  pay  for  the  opportunity  to  exercise  this 
much-neglected  instinct.  The  following  advertise- 
ment of  Golden  Fleece  yarn  is  such  that  it  makes  a 
woman's  'fingers  tingle  with  a  desire  to  crochet. 


Knitting  and 
CrocHeting 
Made  Easy 


The  Golden  Fleece  Yams 
struction  Book  explains  and  il- 
lustrates  every  possible  kind  of 
stitch  for  beginners  or  skilled  kni 
rs;  and  tells 


sort  of  garment  from  a  baby's  sock  to 
kimono,  in  words  as  simple  as  A,  B,  C. 


Over  100  pages  at  the  merely  nominal 
price  of  15c,  by  mail  or  at  dealers.  If  your 
dealer  does  not  keep  it  send  us  his  name 


GOLDEN  FLEECE  YARNS 


are  best  in  wool,  best  in  spinning,  best  in  colors 


No.  4. —  A  successful  appeal  to 
the  constructing  instinct. 

One  of  the  most  striking  instincts  in  the  entire  ani- 
mal kingdom  is  that  of  maternal  love. 
The  mother  of  one  of  the  higher  ani- 
mals or  of  the  human  infant  is  willing 
to  sacrifice  all  for  her  infant.     The  description  which 

68 


, 

The  Parental 
. 


HUMAN     INSTINCTS 


a  German  by  the  name  of  Schneider  wrote  of  this  in- 
stinct is  clearly  German,  but  is  an  excellent  description 
of  the  facts : 

"  As  soon  as  a  wife  becomes  a  mother  her  whole 
thought  and  feeling,  her  whole  being,  is  altered.  Un- 
til then  she  had  only  thought  of  her  own  well-being, 
of  the  satisfaction  of  her  vanity;  the  whole  world  ap- 
peared made  only  for  her;  everything  that  went  on 
about  her  was  only  noticed  so  far  as  it  had  personal 
reference  to  her ;  she  asked  of  everyone  that  he  should 
appear  interested  in  her,  pay  her  the  requisite  atten- 
tion, and  as  far  as  possible  fulfil  her  wishes.  Now, 
however,  the  center  of  the  world  is  no  longer  herself, 
but  her  child.  She  does  not  think  of  her  own  hun- 
ger; she  must  first  be  sure  that  the  child  is  fed.  It  is 
nothing  to  her  that  she  herself  is  tired  and  needs  rest, 
so  long  as  she  sees  that  the  child's  sleep  is  disturbed ; 
the  moment  it  stirs  she  awakes,  though  far  stronger 
noises  fail  to  arouse  her  now.  She  has,  in  one  word, 
transformed  her  entire  egotism  to  the  child,  and  lives 
only  in  it.  Thus,  at  least,  it  is  in  all  unspoiled,  natur- 
ally bred  mothers,  and  thus  it  is  with  all  the  higher 
animal  mothers. 

"  She  does  not  herself  know  why  she  is  so  happy, 
and  why  the  look  of  the  child  and  the  care  of  it  are 
so  agreeable,  any  more  than  the  young  man  can  give 
an  account  of  why  he  loves  the  maiden,  and  is  so 
happy  when  she  is  near.  Few  mothers,  in  caring  for 
their  children,  think  of  the  proper  purpose  of  maternal 
love  for  the  preservation  of  -the  species.  Such  a 

69 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

thought  may  arise  in  the  father's  mind ;  seldom  in  that 
of  the  mother.  The  latter  feels  only  that  it  is  an  ever- 
lasting delight  to  hold  the  being  which  she  has  brought 
forth  protectingly  in  her  arms,  to  dress  it,  to  wash  it, 
to  rock  it  to  sleep,  or  to  still  its  hunger."  (Condensed 
from  James'  Psychology.) 

Anything  that  will  administer  to  the  needs  of  the 
child  is  a  necessity  in  the  eyes  of  the  mother.  The 
matter  of  expense  has  to  be  considered  by  many  moth- 
ers, but  as  men  think  lightly  of  expense  when  satisfy- 
ing their  hunting  instincts,  so  the  mothers  look  upon 
expense  as  of  secondary  importance  when  supplying  the 
needs  of  their  children.  An  article  which  in  any  way 
administers  to  the  appearance  or  comfort  of  children 
needs  but  to  be  brought  to  the  attention  of  mothers  and 
it  is  sure  to  be  desired  by  them  with  a  desire  which  is 
much  more  than  a  passing  fancy,  for  it  is  enforced  by 
the  maternal  instinct  as  inherited  from  countless  gen- 
erations. Advertisers  are  very  successful  in  appealing 
to  this  instinct.  The  advertisement  of  Cream  of 
Wheat  (No.  5)  is  but  one  of  many  advertisements 
which  thus  appeal  most  forcibly  to  all  mothers. 

No  one  chooses  solitude  for  a  long  period  of  time. 
\Ye  prefer  the  best  of  companionship,  but  in  the  ab- 
sence of  the  best  we  accept  the  best 
The  Instincts         ..  ,  .  r>   u-  r- 

.  available.        Robinson      Crusoe      took 

Affecting  the 

"  Social  Self "  £reat    corni°rt    m    tne    companionship 
of  his  man  Friday.     Solitary  confine- 
ment is  a  severer  form  of  punishment  than  any  other 

70 


HUM  AX     IXSTIXCTS 


employed  by  civilized   nations.      We   are  gregarious 
and  want  to  be  able  to  see  other  human  beings.     Not 


No    5. —  A.  successful  attempt  to  appeal  to  the  parental 
instinct. 

only  do  we  want  to  see  others,  but  we  want  to  be  seen 
and  noticed  by  them.     \Yhy  should  I  care  for  myself 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

as  I  appear  in  the  minds  of  other  people?  It  is  not 
necessary  for  me  to  explain  the  origin  of  such  a  re- 
gard for  the  opinion  of  others,  but  it  would  hardly 
have  been  possible  for  the  race  to  have  developed  with- 
out such  a  preference.  Indeed,  if  an  individual  should 
become  wholly  oblivious  to  the  opinion  of  others,  it  is 
doubtful  whether  he  would  be  able  to  survive  for  any 
considerable  period  of  time. 

The  young  man  seems  compelled  to  attempt  to  be 
at  his  best  before  the  young  lady,  but  he  does  not 
know  why.  The  young  boy  always  tries  to  "  show 
off  "  in  the  presence  of  young  girls.  It  is  often  ridic- 
ulous that  he  should  do  so,  and  he  does  not  know  why 
he  is  doing  it.  When  he  comes  into  the  presence  of 
the  young  girl  he  seems  compelled  to  undertake  some- 
thing bizarre  which  is  sure  to  attract  her  attention. 
We  are  all  afflicted  as  the  young  man  and  the  boy. 
We  consult  not  only  our  preference  but  also  the  opin- 
ion of  others  in  purchasing  our  clothes  and  our  homes, 
and  in  choosing  our  friends  and  our  professions.  We 
seem  compelled  to  strive  for  those  things  which  will 
make  us  rise  in  the  estimation  of  others,  and  in  pur- 
chasing and  choosing  we  select  those  things  which  are 
approved  by  those  whose  esteem  we  most  covet.  If 
a  particular  style  of  clothing  is  preferred  by  the  class 
of  society  whose  esteem  we  court,  that  is  a  great  argu- 
ment in  favor  of  such  goods.  It  is  possible  for  the 
advertiser  of  all  classes  of  clothing  to  take  advantage 
of  this  characteristic  of  human  nature  and  to  present 
his  garments  as  if  they  were  being  worn  by  this  pre- 
72 


HUMAN     INSTINCTS 


ferred  set.  Indeed,  at  the  present  time,  there  are 
many  classes  of  goods  which  are  being  presented  as 
the  preferred  of  the  "  veritable  swells."  When,  on  the 


1  <z~~y 

£.  ^-'—^ 

1 


No.  6.—  I  feel  that  by 
buying  a  Gage 
hat  I  should  be 
brought  into  the 
social  class  of 
these  ladies. 


contrary,  an  advertiser  represents  his  goods  as  that 
preferred  by  a  despised  class  of  individuals,  the  effect 
produced  is  distinctly  harmful. 

73 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

The  reproduced  advertisement  of  Gage  Millinery 
(No.  6)  makes  us  believe  that  by  selecting  a  Gage  hat 
we  should  be  brought,  in  the  eyes  of  our  acquaintances, 
into  the  class  of  persons  here  represented. 

The  advertisements  of  Regal  Shoes  (No.  7)  and  of 
White  Star  Coffee  (No.  8)  make  us  avoid  them,  for 


r-IO  Of.   HAPPY,  If  \  COULO  ONIV    GtT  A  RicAL  OH* 


No.  7. —  I  refuse  to  admire  the  Regal 
shoe,  for  it  will  bring  me  into  the 
class  with  this  fellow. 


we  do  not  want  to  be  considered  as  in  the  class  with 
frogs  and  peasants.  The  coffee  and  shoes  may  be  all 
right,  but  if,  by  using  them,  I  am  to  be  thought  less 
of  by  my  acquaintances,  I  will  have  none  of  them. 

Our  limbs  would  be  useless  unless  with  them  we 
inherited  a  desire  to  exercise  them.  We  do  not  exer- 
cise our  limbs  in  order  that  we  may  develop  them ;  but, 

74 


HUMAN     INSTINCTS 


nevertheless,  the  chief  value  of  such  exercise  may  be 
the  development  of  the  limbs.  \Yith 
every  organ  we  inherit  a  desire  to  ex- 
ercise it  in  a  way  which  makes  for  its 
development.  The  child's  mind  is  but 


The  Instincts 

Affecting  the 

Psychical 

Nature 


a   potential   affair.     It   must  be  exer- 
cised in  order  that  it  may  develop.     If  the  child  exer- 


White 
Star  Coffee 


No.  8. —  A  poor  advertisement.  What 
would  my  acquaintances  think  of  me 
if  I  preferred  the  same  brand  of 
coffee  as  that  which  delights  the 
frogs? 


cised  only  when  it  realized  that  such  exercise  was  nec- 
essary for  the  development  of  the  body,  it  is  quite  cer- 
tain that  there  would  never  be  a  fully  developed  adult 
again. 

Along  with  our  bodies  w-e  have  inherited  a  psychical 
nature  with  all  its  diversified  possibilities.  The  psy- 
chical nature  is,  however,  but  little  more  than  a  possi- 
bility which  needs  vigorous  exercise  for  its  realiza- 
tion. 

We  have  a  moral  nature  which,  in  the  beginning, 

75 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

is  in  the  crudest  possible  form,  but  we  have  an  in- 
herited liking  for  the  consideration  of  moral  ques- 
tions. This  consideration  may  be  of  the  actions  of 
the  hero  in  a  story,  of  the  nation's  leaders,  of  a  seller 
of  merchandise,  or  of  a  personal  friend.  Such  con- 
sideration of  actions  of  others  is  most  beneficial  in 
the  development  of  the  moral  sense,  and  when  moral 
questions  are  presented  in  a  true  light,  they  are  in- 
tensely interesting  to  all  classes  of  persons. 

Socrates  believed  that  all  persons  would  prefer  the 
right  whenever  they  saw  it,  and  that  all  evil  actions 
were  from  ignorance.  Such  a  view  is  evidently  an 
exaggeration,  but  we  certainly  do  prefer  what  we  re- 
gard to  be  the  right,  and  reject  what  we  regard  to  be 
the  wrong.  This  is  especially  true  in  regard  to  the 
actions  of  others.  We  are  disgusted  and  repulsed  by 
what  we  regard  as  wrong  in  others.  If  an  adver- 
tiser's argument,  illustration  and  condition  of  pur- 
chase are  such  that  they  offend  the  moral  sense  of  the 
reader,  the  advertisement  is  of  little  or  no  value. 
It  may  be  difficult  to  appeal  especially  to  the  moral 
judgment  of  the  possible  customer  in  presenting  most 
goods,  but  any  offense  to  such  a  moral  judgment  must 
be  scrupulously  avoided.  In  the  advertisements  of 
books,  periodicals  and  schools,  the  moral  judgment  can 
safely  be  counted  on.  Whether  the  religious  nature 
be  developed  from  the  moral  or  not,  it  certainly  is  true 
that  the  two  are  very  closely  connected,  and  that  they 
must  'both  be  regarded  with  care  by  the  advertiser, 
whether  they  be  appealed  to  directly  by  the  advertise- 


HUMAN     INSTINCTS 


ment  or  not.  The  avidity  with  which  we  seek  things 
which  appeal  to  our  religious  nature  is  illustrated  by  a 
circumstance  related  in  the  September,  1904,  issue  of 
the  Atlantic  Monthly.  A  book  was  offered  to  the  pub- 
lic with  the  title,  "  The  Wonders  of  Nature,"  but  the 
sales  were  disappointing.  The  title  was  changed  to 
"  The  Wonders  of  Nature,  the  Architecture  of  God," 
and  the  sales  were  immediately  increased  and  a  second 
edition  was  necessary. 

We  have  even  as  children  an  embryonic,  esthetic  na- 
ture.    Things  beautiful  have  a  fascinating  effect  upon  j 
the   unperverted   individual.     We   need    but   to    have 
objects  of  beauty  brought  to  our  attention  and  we  de-  ' 
sire  them  without  being  taught  their  desirability. 

Furthermore,  the  beautiful  affects  us  without  our 
knowledge  of  the  fact.  We  stop  and  look  at  a  beau- 
tiful advertisement,  but  may  not  be  aware  that  it  is 
the  beauty  that  attracts  us  at  all.  The  best  works  of 
art  are  such  that  the  attention  is  drawn  wholly  to  what 
is  represented,  and  not  to  the  manner  of  the  represen- 
tation. The  advertisement  which  is  most  artistic  may 
be  one  which  never  affects  the  public  as  being  artistic 
at  all,  but  it  is  the  one  which  will  be  most  effective  in 
impressing  the  possible  customer.  One  reason  why  so 
much  attention  is  given  to  the  advertising  pages  of 
our  magazines  is  that  they  are  so  artistic. 

We  have  an  intellectual  nature,  but  in  the  case  of 
the  child  the  intellect  is  little  more  than  a  spark  which, 
however,  is  sufficient  to  indicate  the  presence  of  that 
which  may  be  developed  into  a  great  light.  The 

77 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

child  is  prompted  by  curiosity  to  examine  everything 
that  comes  into  its  environment.  It  tears  its  toys  to 
pieces  that  it  may  learn  of  their  construction.  At  a 
later  age  the  youth  takes  delight  in  the  acquisition  of 
knowledge  independent  of  the  utility  of  such  knowl- 
edge. The  curiosity  of  the  human  race  is  the  salva- 
tion of  its  intellect,  and  at  the  same  time  makes  a  con- 
venient point  of  attack  for  the  advertiser.  The  public 
wants  to  know  what  is  offered  for  sale.  It  wants  to 
hear  the  story  which  the  advertiser  has  to  tell.  There 
are  other  stories  to  hear,  and  the  advertiser  must  not 
have  the  most  uninteresting  one  if  he  expects  to  take 
advantage  of  this  instinctive  desire  of  the  individual  to 
become  acquainted  with  all  novel  objects  and  to 
learn  all  he  can  concerning  new  aspects  of  familiar 
ones. 

Occasionally  this  characteristic  of  curiosity  may  be 
made  use  of  by  the  advertiser  in  what  might  seem  to 
be  an  absurd  manner,  and  yet  the  results  be  good.  As 
an  illustration,  observe  the  reproduced  advertisement 
of  "  What  did  the  woggle  bug  say?  "  (No.  9).  This 
advertisement  seems  to  be  extremely  absurd,  and  yet, 
in  some  way,  it  has  been  able  to  arouse  the  curiosity 
of  many  readers,  and  it  is  quite  possible  that  it  has 
been  a  successful  advertisement. 

We  have  seen  above  that  we  have  instinctive  re- 
sponses to  act  for  the  preservation  and  furtherance  of 
( i )  our  bodies,  clothes,  homes,  personal  property  and 
family  (also  the  hunting  and  constructing  instincts 
which  are  more  complex  than  others  of  this  class)  ; 

78 


HUMAN     INSTINCTS 


(2)  ourselves  as  we  exist  in  the  minds  of  others;  (3) 
our  mental  faculties.  \Ye  have  seen  that  to  secure 
action  along  these  lines  it  is  not  necessary  to  show  the 
value  of  such  action  or  the  necessity  of  it,  but  merely 
to  present  the  proper  stimulus,  and  the  action  is  forth- 
coming immediately.  The  advertiser  should  study  hu- 


CASH 
MONTHLY 

FOR  CORRECT  ANSWERS. 


No.  9. —  An  advertising  freak 
designed  to   arouse   curi- 

.    osity. 


man  nature  to  discover  these  hidden  springs  of  action. 
He  desires  to  produce  the  maximum  of  action  along  a 
certain  line  with  the  minimum  of  effort  and  expense 
to  himself.  If  he  can  find  a  method  whereby  his  ef- 
forts are  seconded  by  some  of  the  most  powerful  of 
the  human  instincts,  his  task  will  be  simplified  to  the 
extreme.  The  discovery  of  such  a  method  is  a  task 
for  the  leaders  of  the  profession  of  advertising. 


79 


VI 

SUGGESTION 


THE  mental  process  known  as  "  Suggestion  "  is  in 

bad  repute  because,  in  the  popular  mind,  it  has  too 

often  been  associated  on  the  one  hand 

_  with  hypnotism  and  on  the  other  with 

Suggestion?    .    ,  ,. 

indelicacy  and  vulgarity.     Hypnotism 

in  the  hands  of  the  scientist  or  of  the  fakir  is  well 
known  to  be  a  form  of  suggestion.  A  story  which 
does  not  specifically  depart  from  that  which  conforms 
to  the  standards  of  propriety  but  which  is  so  con- 
structed that  it  leads  the  hearers  to  conceptions  that 
are  "  off  color  "  is  said  to  be  suggestive.  In  this  way 
it  has  come  to  pass  that  the  whole  subject  of  suggestion 
has  been  passed  by  with  less  consideration  than  is 
due4t. 

There  is  no  uniformity  in  the  meanings  that  are 
attached  to  the*  term  suggestion  even  among  the  most 
careful  writers.  If  I  were  sitting  in  my  office  and  con- 
sidering the  advisability  of  beginning  a  certain  enter- 
prise, I  might  say  that  one  idea  "  suggested  "  a  second 
and  this  second  a  third,  etc.  A  scientific  definition 
would  not  allow  this  use  of  the  term  but  would  sub- 
stitute the  expression  "called  up"  for  "suggested." 
Thus  I  should  say  that  one  idea  "  called  up  "  the  sec- 
6nd,  etc.  Suggestion  must  be  brought  about  by  a  sec- 
ond person  or  an  object.  In  my  musings  and  delib- 
erations I  should  not  say  that  one  idea  suggested  an- 

80 


SUGGESTION 


other,  but  if  the  same  idea  were  called  forth  at  the  in- 
stigation of  a  second  person  or  upon  the  presentation 
of  an  object,  I  should  then  call  it  suggestion  —  if  it 
met  the  second  essential  condition  of  suggestion.  This 
second  condition  is  that  the  resulting  conception,  con- 
clusion or  action  must  follow  with  less  than  the  nor- 
mal amount  of  deliberation.  Suggestion  is  thus  a 
relative  term,  and  in  many  instances  it  might  be  diffi- 
cult to  say  whether  or  not  a  particular  act  was  sug- 
gestion. If  the  act  followed  a  normal  amount  of  con- 
sideration after  a  normal  time  for  deliberation,  it 
would  not  be  suggestion,  while  if  the  same  act  fol- 
lowed too  abruptly  or  with  too  little  consideration  it 
might  be  a  true  case  of  suggestion. 

Every  normal  individual  is  subject  to  the  influence 
of  suggestion.     Every  idea  of  which  we  think  is  all 

too   liable   to   be   held   for   truth,   and 
Universality  . 

of  Suggestion  every  thouSht  of  an  actlon  whlch  en~ 
ters  our  minds   is  likely  to  result  in 

such  action.  I  do  not  think  first  of  walking  and  then 
make  up  my  mind  to  walk.  The  very  thought  of 
walking  will  inevitably  lead  to  the  act  unless  I  stop 
the  process  by  the  thought  of  standing  still.  If  I 
think  of  an  object  to  the  east  of  me  my  whole  body 
sways  slightly  in  that  direction.  Such  action  is  so 
slight  that  we  ordinarily  do  not  discover  it  without 
the  aid  of  accurate  recording  instruments.  Almost  all 
so-called  mind-reading  exhibitions  are  nothing  but 
demonstrations  of  the  fact  that  every  thought  which 
we  think  expresses  itself  in  some  outward  action. 

81 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

Thought  is  dynamic  in  its  very  nature  and  every  idea 
of  an  action  tends  to  produce  that  action. 

The  most  perfect  working  of  suggestion  is  to  be 
seen  under  hypnosis  and  in  crowds.  In  hypnosis  the 
subject  holds  every  idea  presented  as  true,  and  every 
idea  suggested  is  acted  out  with  no  hesitation  what- 
ever. Here  the  mind  is  so  narrowed  by  the  artificial 
sleep  that  no  contradictory  or  inhibiting  idea  arises, 
and  hence  no  idea  can  seem  absurd  and  no  action  seems 
out  of  place.  There  is  no  possible  criticism  or  de- 
liberation and  so  we  have  the  extreme  case  of  sus- 
ceptibility to  suggestion. 

The  effect  oi  a  crowd  upon  an  individual  approaches 
that  of  the  hypnotizer.  The  individual  is  affected  by 
every  rrrember  of  the  crowd  and  the  influence  becomes 
so  overpowering  that  it  can  hardly  be  resisted.  If 
the  crowd  is  a  "  lynching  party "  the  whole  atmos- 
phere is  one  of  revenge,  and  everywhere  is  suggested 
the  idea  of  "  lynch  the  culprit."  This  idea  is  pre- 
sented on  all  sides.  It  can  be  read  from  the  faces 
and  actions  of  the  individuals  and  is  heard  in  their 
cries.  No  other  idea  has  a  chance  to  arise  in  con- 
sciousness and  hence  this  one  idea,  being  dynamic, 
leads  to  its  natural  consequences. 

It  was  once  supposed  that  suggestion  was  some- 
thing abnormal  and  that  reason  was 
**  the  common  attribute  of  men.  To- 

.,  .          .      day  we  are  finding  that  suggestion  is 

of  universal  application  to  all  persons, 

while  reason  is  a  process  which  is  exceptional,  even 

82 


SUGGESTION 


among  the  wisest.  We  reason  rarely,  but  act  under 
suggestion  constantly. 

There  has  been  a  great  agitation  of  late  among 
advertisers  for  "  reason  why  "  copy.  This  agitation 
has  had  some  value,  but  it  is  easily  over-emphasized. 
Occasionally  customers  are  persuaded  and  convinced, 
but  more  frequently  they  make  their  purchases  because 
the  act  is  suggested  at  the  psychological  moment. 
Suggestion  and  persuasion  are  not  antagonistic;  both 
should  be  kept  in  mind.  However,  in  advertising, 
suggestion  should  not  be  subordinated  to  persuasion 
but  should  be  supplemented  by  it.  The  actual  effect 
of  modern  advertising  is  not  so  much  to  convince  as 
to  suggest.  The  individual  swallowed  up  by  a  crowd 
is  not  aware  of  the  fact  that  he  is  not  exercising  a 
normal  amount  of  deliberation.  His  actions  appear 
to  him  to  be  the  result  of  reason,  although  the  idea, 
as  presented,  is  not  criticised  at  all  and  no  contra- 
dictory or  inhibiting  idea  has  any  possibility  of  arising 
in  his  mind.  In  the  same  way  we  think  that  we  are  per- 
forming a  deliberate  act  when  we  purchase  an  adver- 
tised commodity,  while  in  fact  we  may  never  have  de- 
liberated upon  the  subject  at  all.  The  idea  is  sug- 
gested by  the  advertisement,  and  the  impulsiveness  of 
human  nature  enforces  the  suggested  idea,  hence  the 
desired  result  follows  in  a  way  unknown  to  the  pur- 
chaser. 

Some  time  ago  a  tailor  in  Chicago  was  conducting  a 
vigorous  advertising  campaign.*  I  did  not  suppose 
that  his  advertising  was  having  any  influence  upon 

83 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

me.  Some  months  after  the  advertising  had  begun  I 
went  into  the  tailor's  shop  and  ordered  a  suit.  While 
in  the  shop  I  happened  to  fall  into  conversation  with 
the  proprietor  and  he  asked  me  if  a  friend  had  recom- 
mended him  to  me.  I  replied  that  such  was  the  case. 
Thereupon  I  tried  to  recall  who  the  friend  was  and 
finally  came  to  the  conclusion  that  this  shop  had  never 
been  recommended  to  me  at  all.  I  had  seen  his  ad- 
vertisements for  months  and  from  them  had  formed 
an  idea  of  the  shop.  Later,  I  forgot  where  I  had  re- 
ceived my  information  and  assumed  that  I  had  re- 
ceived it  from  a  friend  who  patronized  the  shop.  I  dis- 
covered that  all  I  knew  of.  trie  shop  I  had  learned  from 
advertisements  and  I  doubt  very  much  whether  I  ever 
read  any  of  the  advertisements  further  than  the  dis- 
play type.  Doubtless  many  other  customers  would 
have  given  the  same  reply  even  though,  as  in  my  case, 
no  friend  had  spoken  to  them  concerning  the  shop. 
Jdeas  which  have  the  greatest  suggestive  power  are 
those  presented  to  us  by  the  actions  of  other  persons. 


^JElie^secondjjiost  effective  class  is  prob- 
f      ably  the  ideas  suggested  by  the  words 
s  .         of    our    companions.     Advertisements 

that  are  seen  frequently  are  difficult  to 
distinguish  in  their  force  from  ideas  which  are  secured 
from  the  words  of  our  friends.  Advertising  thus  be- 
comes a  great  social  illusion.  We  attribute  to  our 
social  environment  that  which  in  reality  has  been  se- 
cured from  the  advertisements  which  we  have  seen  so 
often  that  we  forget  the  source  of  the  information. 


SUGGESTION 


Street  railway  advertising  is  especially  effective  at  this 
point  because  the  suggestion  is  presented  so  frequently 
that  we  soon  forget  the  source  of  the  suggestions  and 
end  by  attributing  it  to  the  advice  of  friends. 

In  advertising  some  commodities  argumentation  is 
of  more  importance  than  suggestion,  and  for  such 
things  booklets  and  other  similar  forms  of  adver- 
tising are  the  most  effective.  Such  commodities  are, 
however,  the  exception  and  not  the  rule.  In  the 
most  successful  advertising  argumentation  and  forms 
of  reasoning  are  not  disregarded,  but  the  emphasis  is 
put  upon  suggestion.  Inasmuch  as  more  of  our  ac- 
tions are  induced  by  suggestion  than  by  argumentation, 
advertising  conforms,  in  this  particular,  to  the  psycho- 
logical situation.  It  puts  the  emphasis  where  the  most 
can  be  accomplished  and  subordinates  those  mental 
processes  which  hold  a  second  place  in  determining  our 
actions. 

As  stated  above,  those  suggestions  are  the  most  pow- 
erful which  we  receive  from  the  actions  and  words  of 
other  persons.  The  successful  advertiser  seems  to 
have  worked  upon  this  hypothesis  in  constructing  many 
advertisements.  He  has  also  taken  advantage  of  the 
fact  that  we  soon  forget  the  person  who  originally 
suggested  the  idea  and  become  subject  to  illusions  upon 
the  matter.  Thus,  in  the  reproduced  advertisements 
of  Jap-a-lac  (No.  i),  as  I  see  this  young  lady  using 
Jap-a-lac  the  suggestion  to  do  the  same  thing  is  over- 
powering. Many  a  woman  who  has  looked  at  these 
pictures  has  been  immediately  overcome  by  a  desire 

85 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 


y  ^P!-^-rJ-2  i-J     I 


J-5^ 


-M 

Li 


S.C 


i  f  m  ili  ? 

•:.  Ji««.!=lh  —* 

';    >•  a.—  i  -  <  «>  i, 


lilies 


No.  1. —  The  actions  of  this  young  lady  are  compelling  in  their  suggestive 

power. 

86 


SUGGESTION 


to  do  the  same  thing  and  has  put  her  desire  into  exe- 
cution. If  I  had  seen  these  and  similar  cards  for  a 
few  months,  even  though  I  had  never  seen  anyone 
actually  using  the  paint,  I  should  assume  that  "  every 
one  is  using  Jap-a-lac."  The  suggestion  would  there- 
upon be  in  an  extreme  form  and  be  liable  to  cause  me 
to  imitate  what  I  assumed  every  one  else  was  doing. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  I  was  affected  in  just  this  manner. 
\Yhen  occasion  arose  to  purchase  some  paint  for  house- 
hold use  I  called  for  Jap-a-lac  under  the  assumption 
that  I  had  seen  it  used  frequently.  The  can  looked 
familiar,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  was  running  no 
risks,  for  Jap-a-lac  had  been  a  household  commodity 
for  years.  Soon  after  the  purchase  I  began  to  write 
this  chapter  and  I  am  unable  to  recall  any  instance 
of  having  seen  Jap-a-lac  in  use.  I  had  seen  pictures 
of  the  Jap-a-lac  paint  can  and  had  seen  pictures  of 
.persons  using  the  paint,  but  I  know  of  no  other  source 
of  information  concerning  this  paint,  although  at  the 
time  of  the  purchase  of  the  paint  my  knowledge  of  it 
seemed  to  me  perfectly  adequate.  Apparently  I  had 
never  heard  an  argument  in  favor  of  the  paint  but 
had  acted  upon  mere  suggestion.  Women  are,  in  gen- 
eral, more  susceptible  to  suggestion  than  men,  and  I 
feel  sure  that  many  women  are  convinced  of  the  ade- 
quacy of  this  paint  by  these  same  advertisements, 
reproduced  above,  even  though  nothing  more  than  the 
display  and  the  picture  is  noticed. 

It  seems  that  no  form  of  action  can  be  suggested  by 
an  advertisement  that  does  not  successfully  challenge 

87 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

the  reader  to  do  what  is  proposed.  The  suggested 
idea  haunts  one  and  even  though  the  action  may  be 
absurd,  it  is  difficult  to  resist.  The  three  following 
advertisements  have  all  appeared  in  street-cars  and 
have  met  with  phenomenal  success.  Many  persons 

Q  *^       Rub  your  fln«w 

H  LUCAS  TINTED  GLOSS  PAINT     wont 

•t  chalk  —  won't     crumble.       It    develops    s. 
VypP*'  hard  glossy  surface. 

Moisture  or  heat   won't  affect   it.      It   lasts  yean 
longer  than  other  paint.    Be  sure  you  get  it. 

No.  2. —  A  suggestion  to  rub  your  finger. 

doubtless  feel  the  suggestion  to  be  irresistible  to 
rub  the  end  of  the  first  ringer  when  looking  at 
this  advertisement  of  Lucas's  Tinted  Gloss  Paint. 

SOLVE  THIS 


on  white  lead  paint  several  months  old. 
It  comes  off— like  chalk.    It  Is  crumbling 
a*way. 


and  well  send  you  one  of  our 
Superior    Pound    CaKes 


to  last  month's 
-"Certainly  ntin" 


twESTERFELIKS 

j    865M«rh»t IQ33M«rh«* 


No.   3. —  A  suggestion  to  solve  this. 

What  could  be  more  absurd  than  Westerfeld's  ad- 
vertisement? The  fact  that  this  advertisement  was 
highly  successful  is  sufficient  justification  for  its 
use.  Kerr's  studio  was  flooded  with  answers  to  the 
suggestion  of  "  Guess  who  ?  "  The  suggestions  in 
these  three  advertisements  lead  the  readers  to  desire 
to  act  in  the  ways  suggested,  and  that  of  necessity 

88 


SUGGESTION 


leads  to  a  careful  reading  of  the  entire  advertisements. 

As  stated   above,   the   words   of  our   friends   have 

strong  suggestive  power.     We  are  not  cold,  logical 

machines,   who  take  data  in  and  then,   by  a  logical 

A    SISTERSVILLE    GIRL 


GUESS    WHO? 

To  the  first  Successful  Guesser  we  wi 
live  One  Dozen  of  our  $5.00  Photos. 


Eastman    Kodaks    and   Tijpllri 
Everything  for  UK 


KERR'S  STUDIOS 


No.   4. — The   action   suggested  by  this  advertise- 
ment makes  it  effective. 

process,  come  to  a  reasonable  conclusion.  On  the  con- 
trary, we  are  so  highly  susceptible  to  suggestion  that 
the  words  of  our  companions  are  ordinarily  held  for 
true  and  the  actions  proposed  by  them  are  hastily  car- 
ried out.  The  suggestiveness  of  the  words  of  com- 
panions is  a  value  available  to  the  advertiser.  He 

- 


No.   5. —  The  venerable  doctor  seems  to  make 
the   suggestion. 

places  before  the  public  a  statement  and  then,  to  give  it 
greater  suggestive  power,  he  shows  the  likeness  of  a 
person  whose  face  indicates  the  possession  of  a  judg- 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 


ment  we  should  be  willing  to  take.  The  advertiser 
does  not  state  that  the  words  are  those  of  the  person 
depicted,  but  this  relationship  seems  to  be  suggested 
and  it  adds  greatly  to  the  value  of  the  advertisement. 
Thus  in  the  reproduced  advertisement  of  Postum  Food 
Coffee  the  picture  of  the  venerable  doctor  becomes  as- 
sociated in  our  minds  with  the  statement,  "  If  coffee 
don't  agree,  use  Postum  Food  Coffee."  Later  these 
words  seem  to  have  issued  from  a  responsible  person 
and  come  to  have  undue  weight  with  us  all.  Likewise 


No.   6. —  The  washerwoman  seems  to  recom- 
mend Arrow  collars. 


CALOX 


The  "OXYGEN"  Tooth  Powder 

The  new  scientific 

dentifrice  that  will 

whiten  your  teeth. 

THE  OXYGEN  DOES  IT. 

All  Druggists! 
25  cents    -J 

,...,, hta 

No.   7. — The  portrait  doubles  the  suggestive 
power  of  this   advertisement. 

in  the  reproduced  advertisement  of  Arrow  collars  the 
genial  washerwoman  seems  to  assure  us  that  "  Arrow 
Collars  don't  shrink  in  the  wash."  In  the  case  of  the 

90 


SUGGESTION 


Calox  advertisement  I  am  convinced  when  this  beauti- 
ful girl  points  her  finger  at  me  and  seems  to  say,  "  Yes, 
you  ought  to  use  Calox."  As  I  happen  to  need  more 
tooth  powder  just  now,  I  don't  wait  for  further  evi- 
dence but  accept  uncritically  the  words  which  she  is 
represented  as  using.  When  we  stop  to  think  of  it,  it 
is  absurd  to  place  additional  credence  in  these  words  of 
the  advertiser  simply  because  of  the  presence  of  an 
appropriate  picture,  but  the  absurdity  of  the  situation 


HAND  SAPOLIO 

by  a  method  of  its  own  cleans  the 
pores,  aids  the  natural  changes  of  the 
skin,  and  imparts  new  vigor  and  life. 
C Don't  argue.  Don't  infer,  Try  it! 
Clt's  a  lightning  change  from  office 
to  parlor  with  Hand  Sapolio. 
SHOULD  BE  ON  EVERY  WASHSTAND 


No.  8. —  A  good  advertisement  in 
which  suggestion  is  subordi- 
nated to  Argumentation. 

does   not   detract   from   the   practical   value   of   such 
forms  of  suggestion. 

Many  forms  of  suggestion,  in  addition  to  those  pre- 
sented above,  are  available  to  the  advertiser.  There 
is  also  no  necessary  divorce  between  suggestion  and 
the  presentation  of  arguments.  Indeed,  the  applica- 
tion of  the  two  in  the  same  advertisement'  often  in- 
creases the  value  of  each.  Thus  in  the  reproduced 
advertisement  of  Hand  Sapolio  (No.  8)  the  direct 
suggestion,  "  Hand  Sapolio  should  be  on  every  wash- 
stand,"  is  strengthened  by  the  "  reasons  why,"  and 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

the  reasons  why  are  strengthened  by  this  suggestion. 
These  reproduced  advertisements  are  presented  as 
mere  illustrations  of  a  few  of  the  many  ways  in  which 
suggestion  may  be  used  by  the  advertiser.  We  have 
but  to  consider  the  millions  of  persons  who  at  least 
glance  at  advertisements,  to  be  impressed  by  the  possi- 
bilities opened  to  the  man  who  can  present  his  adver- 
tisement in  a  form  that  suggests  powerfully  the  pur- 
chase or  use  of  his  commodity. 


92 


VII 

THE  WILL:  AN  ANALYSIS 

DURING  all  the  waking  hours  of  the  day  there  is 
something  about  which  we  are  thinking;  we  have  a 

particular  tone  of  feeling,  and  there  is 
Knowing,  .  .        ,          .'  .  . 

.  something  for  which  we  are  striving. 

W'll'  '  ^ e  know  something,  we  feel  some- 
how, and  we  strive  for  something  not 
yet  attained.  Knowing,  feeling  and  willing  are  the 
three  universal  aspects  of  all  our  mental  activities. 
As  I  sit  in  my  chair  I  am  conscious  of  the  furniture 
in  the  room,  the  line  of  thought  which  I  am  carrying 
out  and  the  necessity  of  completing  my  task  in  a  given 
time;  I  feel  pleased  with  the  comfort  of  the  situation 
and  the  excitement  of  composition ;  I  am  putting  forth 
activity  of  will  in  striving  to  accomplish  a  certain  end 
and  to  express  myself  on  a  typewriter.  Sometimes 
our  condition  is  one  of  intense  feeling,  at  another  it 
is  primarily  intellectual  grasp  of  a  situation  and  at 
other  times  it  is  especially  a  putting  forth  the  will  in 
attempting  to  accomplish  some  end  or  to  reach  some 
conclusion.  Although  each  of  the  three  aspects  of 
consciousness  may  for  a  time  predominate  yet  it  is 
probable  that  all  three  activities  are  present  at  all  mo- 
ments of  our  conscious  existence. 

Under  the  will  may  be  included  all  the  active  proc- 
esses of  the  mind.  This  activity  may  express  itself 
either  in  bodily  movements  or  in  some  such  mental 
processes  as  attention  or  volition.  Under  the  bodily 

93 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

activities  are  such  as  impulsive,  instinctive  and  volun- 
tary actions.  At  this  time  it  will  be  well  to  confine 
our  attention  to  but  a  part  of  these  activities  of  the 
will,  viz.,  voluntary  actions. 

A  definition  of  volition  would  not  make  the  subject 
any  clearer  to  us,  but  here  the  term  is  used  in  an  un- 
technical  sense  and  includes  such  things  as  decision, 
choice,  voluntary  actions,  and  all  actions  performed 
after  consideration.  It  includes  a  mental  process  and 
the  resultant,  bodily  activity. 

It  is  probably  true  that  a  majority  of  our  actions 

are  performed  without  such  consideration,   but  it   is 

because  of  the  existence  of  voluntary  action  that  the 

advertiser  finds  it  necessary  to  proceed  logically  and  to 

f  appeal  to  the  reason  of  his  customer. 

A  careful  consideration  of  the  elemental  processes 
involved  in  such  actions  is  of  great  advantage  in  en- 
abling the  advertiser  to  bring  about  the  decision,  de- 
sired. 

Voluntary  actions  may  be  analyzed  into  (a)  an  idea 

of  two  or  more  attainable  ends,    (b)   an  idea  of  the 

means  to  attain  these  ends,  (c)  a  feel- 

ing  of  the  value  or  worthiness  of  the 
Action          t .  %, 
AIH      different   ends,    (a)    a   comparison   of 

the  values  of  the  different  ends  and  of 
the  difficulties  of  the  means  and,  finally,  (e)  a  choos- 
ing of  one  of  the  ends  and  striving  to  attain  it. 

These  five  processes  in  a  voluntary  action  may  be 
illustrated  as  follows:  (a)  I  think  of  a  suit  that  I 
might  buy,  the  trip  that  I  might  take,  and  of  the  debt 

94 


THE     WILL:     AX     ANALYSIS 

that  I  might  pay;  (b)  I  think  of  the  trouble  of  going 
to  the  tailor  shop,  the  inconvenience  of  waiting  for 
the  train,  and  the  distance  to  be  covered  to  reach  the 
creditor;  (c)  I  feel  in  imagination  the  pleasure  of  pos- 
sessing the  new  suit,  the  delights  connected  with  the 
trip,  and  the  satisfaction  of  having  the  debt  paid ; 

(d)  I    compare    the    difficulties    of    possessing    each 
and    the    pleasures    derivable    from    the    possession; 

(e)  I  decide  to  take  the  trip  and  start  for  the  ticket 
office. 

If  this  is  a  correct  analysis  of  voluntary  action  the 

question   which  naturally  arises  in   the  mind  of  the 

advertiser  is  this :     What  can  be  done 

to  cause  the  largest  number  of  persons 
to  Adver- 

.  .  to   decide   in   favor   of   my  particular 

goods?  Suppose  that  the  article  of 
merchandise  under  consideration  be  a  piano :  now  how 
may  the  advertiser  proceed  in  accordance  with  the 
analysis  presented  above?  (a)  The  piano  must  be 
brought  before  the  public  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
idea  of  it  will  be  clear  and  distinct  in  the  minds  of  the 
potential  purchasers,  (b)  The  public  must  be  in- 
formed exactly  what  is  necessary  to  secure  the  piano. 
(c)  The  piano  must  be  presented  in  such  a  manner  that 
its  value  seems  great,  (d)  The  value  of  the  piano 
must  be  presented  in  such  a  way  that,  when  compared 
with  other  forms  of  action,  the  purchase  of  the  piano 
seems  the  most  desirable.  The  means  of  securing  the 
piano  must  be  made  to  appear  easy,  (e)  Pressure 
must  be  brought  to  bear  to  cause  immediate  decision 

95 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

and  action  on  the  part  of  the  public  in  favor  of  the 
particular  piano. 

Elaborations  of  each  of  these  five  points  will  sug- 
gest themselves  to  any  thoughtful  advertiser.  That  the 
idea  of  the  piano  may  be  clear  and  distinct  (a)  illus- 
trations may  be  used  to  advantage ;  the  language  used 
should  conform  to  the  mode  of  thinking  of  the  public 
appealed  to;  the  type  used  should  be  easily  read;  the 
description  should  be  as  brief  as  is  possible  for  com- 
pleteness of  presentation  of  essential  features.  In  order 
that  the  public  may  know  exactly  how  to  secure  the 
piano  (&)  the  exact  cost  must  be  presented ;  the  method 
of  sending  the  money,  the  delivery  and  setting  up  in 
the  home  might  well  be  included  in  the  statement  of 
the  advertisement.  The  feeling  of  value  may  be  awak- 
ened for  the  piano  (c)  by  advertising  it  in  the  highest 
class  of  media,  by  having  a  beautiful  advertisement, 
by  emphasizing  the  elegance  of  the  instrument  and 
the  perfection  of  the  tone,  by  indicating  what  a  joy 
it  is  in  a/home,  and  by  any  other  means  which  would 
tend  to  associate  the  piano  with  feelings  of  pleasure. 
It  is  assumed  that  other  pianos  will  be  considered  by 
the  possible  purchasers  and  that  when  others  are  con- 
sidered they  will  suffer  by  comparison  (d).  That 
this  may  be  true  it  will  be  necessary  to  describe  the 
strong  points  of  the  piano  in  such  a  way  that  the 
value  of  the  piano  seems  great,  and  the  cost  of  it  and 
the  means  of  securing  it  seem  less  burdensome  than 
those  connected  with  competing  pianos.  That  the 
choice  may  be  made  at  once  and  effort  put  forth  to 


THE     WILL:     AN     ANALYSIS 

secure  the  piano  (e)  reasons  for  avoiding  delay  might 
be  presented  or  the  suggestion  to  action  might  be  so 
strong  that  the  tendency  to  procrastinate  would  be 
overcome. 

Although  every  customer  who  is  induced  to  select 
any  particular  line  of  goods  after  consideration  must 
inevitably  perform  the  five  processes  as  described,  and 
although  an  ideal  advertisement  would  be  so  con- 
structed that  it  would  assist  the  customer  in  complet- 
ing each  of  the  five  processes,  yet  it  is  not  to  be  as- 
sumed that  each  advertisement  should  be  constructed 
so  that  it  would  be  well  adapted  to  promote  each  of 
the  five  processes. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  quite  true  that  many  adver- 
tisements are  ineffective  because  the  writer  has  not 
paid  attention  to  these  fundamental  psychological  proc- 
esses of  voluntary  actions,  x 

In  the  reproduced  advertisement  of  Triscuit  (No.  i) 

the  first  step  of  the  act  of  volition  (a)  is  emphasized. 

This  advertisement  gives  the  reader  a 

,  clear  and  vivid  idea  of  the  product  ad- 
Descnption  of          .      ,       , ,  ,    , 

^     j     A  j      vertised.     No  one  can  read  the  adver- 
Goods  Ad- 
vertised      tisement    without   knowing   what    the 
product  is  made  of,  how  it  looks,  how 
it  is  manufactured  and  what  it  is  good  for. 

The  reproduced  advertisement  of  Holbrook's  Sauce 
(No.  2)  occupied  the  cover  page  in  a  British  magazine 
which  is  about  twelve  by  sixteen  inches  in  size.  In 
all  this  space  nothing  is  shown  or  said  which  gives 
us  an  idea  of  the  real  nature  of  the  product  adver- 

97 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 


tised.  After  examining  this  advertisement  carefully 
I  am  still  at  a  loss  to  know  the  real  nature  of  the 
product.  Such  a  use  of  space  can  be  justified  only  on 
the  assumption  that  the  public  is  already  familiar  with 
the  sauce,  or  that  this  is  to  be  but  a  single  link  in  the 


PERFECT  FOOD 


Corh/x,M'iI  of  W 


The  Natural  Food  Co." 


1. —  Adequate  description  of  goods, 
but  inadequate  as  to  method  of  se- 
curing them. 


chain  and  that  later  or  preceding  advertisements  sup- 
ply what  is  deficient  in  this  single  advertisement. 

Many  an  otherwise  good  advertisement  is  weakened 
because  it  gives  no  adequate  idea  of  the  means  neces- 
sary for  securing  the  goods  advertised.  The  ad- 


THE     WILL:     AN     ANALYSIS 

vertiser  is  so  familiar  with  his  goods  and  the  means 

of  securing  them  that  he  forgets  that 
Method  of         .  ,  .  ,     . 

others  know   nothing  ot   them.     It   is 
Securing 
th     G     H       needless    to    reproduce    any    particular 

advertisement  to  illustrate   this  point. 
A  large  proportion  of  goods  that  are  widely  distributed 


HOLBROOK'S 

E21WUX1VX2         -WOROEIWrUItfcillXr 

SAUCE 


'c7/7 Jauce  ffte 


No.  2. —  Inadequate  description  of  the 
goods  and  of  the  method  of  secur- 
ing them. 

are  advertised  on  the  assumption  that  everybody  knows 
that  they  are  to  be  secured  at  all  dealers.  It  is  not 
wise  to  assume  any  such  knowledge  on  the  part  of  the 
general  public.  In  the  advertisement  of  Triscuit  no 

99 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

mention  is  made  of  the  fact  that  it  can  be  secured  from 
all  first-class  grocers,  and  many  persons  assume  that 
Triscuit  can  be  had  only  at  the  address  given  at  the 


No.     3. —  Adequate     description     of     the 
method    of    securing   the    goods. 


foot  of  the  advertisement.  In  the  advertisement  of 
Holbrook's  Sauce  (No.  2)  no  address  is  given  and 
nothing  is  said  of  the  place  where  it  can  be  secured. 
The  writers  of  the  advertisements  have  assumed  that 

100 


THE     WILL:     AN     ANALYSIS    ::;r: 

the  public  knows  more  of  these  goods  than  the  facts 
warrant. 

The  reproduced  advertisement  of  Jap-a-lac  (No.  3) 
leaves  no  doubt  in  the  mind  of  the  public  as  to  the 
means  of  securing  the  paint.  "  For  sale  by  paint, 
hardware,  drug  dealers.  All  sizes  from  I5c  to  $2.50." 
This  statement  is  sufficient  for  most  persons,  but 
not  for  all,  and  we  find  this  statement  in  addition: 
"  If  your  dealer  does  not  keep  Jap-a-lac,  send  us  his 
name  and  loc  and  we  will  send  free  sample."  This 
advertisement  gives  us  a  clear  idea  of  the  means  nec- 
essary for  securing  the  advertised  goods  and  hence 
facilitates  the  second  process  in  a  voluntary  action 
and  increases  the  chances  of  securing  the  desired  ac- 
tion. No  advertisement  should  ever  appear  which 
leaves  any  doubt  in  the  minds  of  possible  customers  as 
to  where  and  how  the  goods  advertised  can  be  secured. 
The  absence  of  such  information  is  very  common  and 
impresses  the  writer  as  one  of  the  weakest  points  in 
modern  advertising. 

The  third  process  in  our  analysis  of  voluntary  ac- 
tion is  the  feeling  of  worthiness  or  value  (c).  It  is 
^  not  sufficient  to  have  a  clear  idea  of 

,       an    end    and    a    definite    idea    of    the 
of  Worth  , 

means  of  securing  it   unless   there   is 

an  accompanying  feeling  of  value.  The  advertiser  is 
thus  compelled  to  make  his  commodity  appear  val- 
uable. This  fact  is  accomplished  by  most  advertisers 
but  not  by  all.  The  reproduced  advertisement  of  Na- 
bisco (No.  4)  presents  the  product  as  particularly 

101 


PSCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 


worthy.  The  advertisement  is  intrinsically  beautiful. 
The  cut  and  the  copy  harmonize  completely.  The 
•young-  girl  depicted  could  be  described  as  "a  fairy/' 
and  "  airy  lightness  and  exquisite  composition  "  is 


NABISCO 


No.    4. —  This    advertisement   arouses    a 
feeling  of  appreciation. 


characteristic  of  the  entire  cut.  The  copy  appeals  to 
our  instinctive  desires  for  savory  viands  in  a  most  en- 
ticing manner,  and  also  appeals  to  the  feminine  social 
instinct  by  the  following  words :  ".  .  .  to  afford 
the  hostess  opportunity  for  many  original  conceptions 

102 


THE     WILL:     AX     ANALYSIS 

in  the  serving  of  desserts."  The  greatest  feeling  of 
worth  attaches  itself  to  those  things  which  are  the  ob- 
jects of  our  most  fundamental  instinctive  desires.  A 
feeling  of  worth  inevitably  attaches  itself  to  every 
savory  viand,  to  every  beautiful  object,  and  to  every 
agency  which  furthers  our  social  instincts. 

The  fourth  process  in  our  analysis  (d)  is  the  com- 
parison of  competing  ends  as  to  value  and  means  of 

„  acquisition.     When   an   advertiser   re- 
Treatment  of    ..  ,          ...  ,  .  ,   . 

alizes  that  the  public  to  which  he  is  ap- 
Competmg  .f, 

P      ,  pealing  will   compare   his  goods  with 

those  of  his  competitor,  he  is  tempted 
to  resort  to  the  questionable  method  of  showing  the 
weak  points  of  his  competitor's  merchandise  or  method 
of  sales.  There  may  be  instances  in  which  this  method 
is  justifiable  and  even  necessary,  but  ordinarily  it  is 
self-destructive.  The  act  of  comparison  (d)  is  a 
process  in  volition  that  the  advertiser  should  not  seek 
to  encourage.  It  is  a  hindrance  to  the  advertiser  and 
his  function  is  to  minimize  it.  If  I,  as  an  advertiser, 
am  offering  goods  in  competition  with  other  goods,  I 
know  that  my  goods  will  be  compared  with  the  others, 
and  it  is  my  place  to  give  the  reader  such  a  clear  and 
vivid  idea  of  my  goods  (a)  and  to  make  the  means  of 
securing  them  so  plain  (&)  that  my  goods  will  not 
suffer  by  comparison.  My  purpose  is  best  served  by 
holding  my  goods  up  to  the  attention  of  the  potential 
purchaser  and  not  by  emphasizing  the  weaknesses  of 
those  of  my  competitor.  I  must  emphasize  the  strong 
points  of  my  merchandise  and  especially  those  points 

103 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

in  which  my  goods  are  superior  to  competing  goods, 
and  in  this  way  I  get  attention  to  those  points  at  which 
my  goods  will  gain  by  comparison. 

The  last  point  in  the  analysis  of  the  process  of  voli- 
don  (e)  is  that  of  choosing  one  of  the  ends  and  striv- 

Completing  ™S  tO  attain  "'  A11  the  °ther  sta^es 
th  Pr  c  s  °^  ^e  Process  are  kut  subsidiary  to 
this.  What  can  the  advertiser  do  to 
secure  or  to  facilitate  this  part  of  the  process  ?  It  is  a 
well-known  psychological  fact  that  at  the  moment  of 
final  decision  all  competing  ideas  are  usually  banished 
from  the  mind  and  attention  is  centered  on  the  idea 
(the  merchandise)  which  is  chosen.  At  the  moment 
of  final  choice  we  do  not  hold  competing  lines  of  ac- 
tion before  us  and  then  choose  the  one  that  seems  the 
best.  The  process  is  one  of  elimination  preceding  the 
choice.  We  compare  different  lines  of  action  and 
eliminate  one  after  another  till  but  one  is  left.  This 
one  has  seemed  better  than  the  others  and  it  is  held 
to  and  acted  upon.  The  acting  upon  it  is  often  a  part 
of  the  choice.  The  one  line  of  action  is  before  us  and 
the  very  act  of  attending  to  the  one  idea  results  in 
the  appropriate  action.  There  may  have  been  no  con- 
scious choice  preceding  the  action  but  now  that  the 
action  has  commenced  the  competing  ideas  are  kept 
from  the  mind  and  the  action  gets  put  into  fulfillment. 
There  are  therefore  two  distinct  things  which  the  ad- 
vertiser can  do  to  facilitate  this  final  step.  In  the  first 
place  he  fills  the  mind  of  his  potential  customers  with 
thoughts  of  his  own  particular  goods  and,  in  the  second 

104 


THE     WILL:     AN     ANALYSIS 

place,  he  suggests  immediate  action.  The  mind  of  the 
customer  is  filled  by  the  processes  described  in  (a),  (b) 
and  (c).  Immediate  action  is  suggested  by  (b)  and 
by  some  such  device  as  the  return  coupon,  the  direct 
command,  etc.  (For  a  fuller  discussion  of  this  point 
see  chapters  V  and  VI  of  "  The  Theory  of  Adver- 
tising.") The  advertiser  who  fails  to  state  the  method 
of  securing  his  goods  fails  to  give  one  of  the  strongest 
possible  suggestions  to  action. 

If  it  were  even  possible  that  every  reader  of  the 
advertisement  of  Jap-a-lac  already  knew  the  price  of 
it  and  where  it  could  be  secured,  still  the  advertisement 
is  strengthened  by  giving  these  details  in  that  it  gives 
the  suggestion  to  action  as  nothing  else  could  do.  The 
suggestion  to  action  might  be  strengthened  by  addi- 
tional details  but  not  by  substituting  for  them. 


105 


VIII 
THE  WILL:  VARIETY  IN  ACTION 

IN  the  preceding  chapter  an  analysis  of  a  typical 
action  was  given  without  reference  to  the  fact  that 

actions  are  not  ordinarily  typical.     No 
Differences  in 

T  j-  -j     i      two  acts  are  exactly  alike.     Indwdu- 
Individuals 

als  are  different  and  employ  divers 
methods  in  performing  their  acts.  In  the  case  of  a 
single  individual  the  most  diverse  methods  are  em- 
ployed at  different  times  and  under  different  circum- 
stances. The  personal  differences  in  methods  of  de- 
ciding questions  and  resultant  actions  has  been  so 
beautifully  expressed  by  Professor  William  James  that" 
it  seems  useless  to  attempt  any  improvement  upon  his 
presentation  of  the  five  methods  of  deciding  or  choos- 
ing: 

"  The  first  method  may.  be  called  the  reasonable 
type.  It  is  that  of  those  cases  in  which  the  arguments 
for  and  against  a  given  course  seem  gradually  and 
almost  insensibly  to  settle  themselves  in  the  mind  and 
to  end  by  leaving  a  clear  balance  in  favor  of  one  al- 
ternative, which  alternative  we  then  adopt  without 
effort  or  constraint.  .  .  .  The  conclusive  reason 
for  the  decision  in  these  cases  usually  is  the  discovery 
that  we  can  refer  the  case  to  a  class  upon  which  we 
are  accustomed  to  act  unhesitatingly  in  a  certain  ste- 
reotyped way.  .  .  .  The  moment  we  hit  upon  a 
conception  which  lets  us  apply  some  principle  of  action 

106  • 


THE     WILL:     VARIETY     IX     ACTION 

which  is  a  fixed  and  stable  part  of  our  Ego,  our  state 
of  doubt  is  at  an  end.  Persons  of  authority,  who 
have  to  make  many  decisions  in  the  day,  carry  with 
them  a  set  of  heads  of  classification,  each  bearing  its 
volitional  consequence,  and  under  these  they  seek  as 
far  as  possible  to  range  each  new  emergency  as  it  oc- 
curs. It  is  where  the  emergency  belongs  to  a  species 
without  precedent,  to  which  consequently  no  cut-and- 
dried  maxim  will  apply,  that  we  feel  most  at  a  loss, 
and  are  distressed  at  the  indeterminateness  of  our 
task.  As  soon,  however,  as  we  see  our  way  to  a  fa- 
miliar classification,  we  are  at  ease  again.  .  .  . 
The  concrete  dilemmas  do  not  come  to  us  with  labels 
gummed  on  their  backs.  We  may  name  them  by 
many  names.  The  wise  man  is  he  who  succeeds  in 
finding  the  name  which  suits  the  needs  of  the  particu- 
lar occasion  best. 

"  A  '  reasonable  '  character  is  one  who  has  a  store  of 
stable  and  worthy  ends,  and  who  does  not  decide  about 
an  action  till  he  has  calmly  ascertained  whether  it  be 
ministerial  or  detrimental  to  any  one  of  these.  In  the 
next  two  types  of  decision,  the  final  fiat  occurs  before 
the  evidence  is  all  '  in.'  It  often  happens  that  no 
paramount  and  authoritative  reason  for  either  course 
will  come.  Either  seems  a  good,  and  there  is  no  um- 
pire to  decide  which  should  yield  its  place  to  the  other. 
We  grow  tired  of  long  hesitation  and  inconclusive- 
ness,  and  the  hour  may  come  when  we  feel  that  even  a 
bad  decision  is  better  than  no  decision  at  all.  Lender 
these  conditions  it  will  often  happen  that  some  acci- 

107 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

dental  circumstance,  supervening  at  a  particular  mo- 
ment upon  our  mental  weariness,  will  upset  the  bal- 
ance in  the  direction  of  one  of  the  alternatives,  to 
which  we  then  feel  ourselves  committed,  although  an 
opposite  accident  at  the  same  time  might  have  pro- 
duced the  opposite  result. 

"  In  the  second  type  our  feeling  is  to  a  great  extent 
that  of  letting  ourselves  drift  with  a  certain  indifferent 
acquiescence  in  a  direction  accidentally  determined 
from  without,  with  the  conviction  that,  after  all,  we 
might  as  well  stand  by  this  course  as  by  the  other,  and 
that  things  are  in  any  event  sure  to  turn  out  sufficiently 
right. 

"  In  the  third  type  the  determination  seems  equally 
accidental,  but  it  comes  from  within,  and  not  from 
without.  It  often  happens,  when  the  absence  of  im- 
perative principles  is  perplexing  and  suspense  distract- 
ing, that  we  find  ourselves  acting,  as  it  were,  auto- 
matically, and  as  if  by  a  spontaneous  discharge  of  our 
nerves,  in  the  direction  of  one  of  the  horns  of  the 
dilemma.  But  so  exciting  is  this  sense  of  motion 
after  our  intolerable  pent-up  state  that  we  eagerly 
throw  ourselves  into  it.  '  Forward  now ! '  we  in- 
wardly cry,  '  though  the  heavens  fall.' 

"  There  is  a  fourth  form  of  decision,  which  often 
ends  deliberation  as  suddenly  as  the  third  form  does. 
It  comes  when,  in  consequence  of  some  outer  experi- 
ence or  some  inexplicable  inward  change,  ivc  suddenly 
pass  from  the  easy  and  careless  to  the  sober  and  stren- 
uous mood,  or  possibly  the  other  way.  The  whole 

108 


THE     WILL:     VARIETY     IN     ACTION 

scale  of  values  of  our  motives  and  impulses  then  un- 
dergoes a  change  like  that  which  a  change  of  the  ob- 
server's level  produces  on  a  view.  The  most  sobering 
possible  agents  are  objects  of  grief  and  fear.  When 
one  of  these  affects  us,  all  '  light  fantastic  '  notions  lose 
their  motive  power,  all  solemn  ones  find  theirs  multi- 
plied many  fold.  The  consequence  is  an  instant 
abandonment  of  the  more  trivial  projects  with  which 
we  had  been  dallying,  and  an  instant  practical  accept- 
ance of  the  more  grim  and  earnest  alternative  which 
till  then  could  not  extort  our  mind's  consent.  All 
those  '  changes  of  heart,'  '  awakenings  of  conscience/ 
etc.,  which  make  new  men  of  so  many  of  us  may  be 
classed  under  this  head.  The  character  abruptly  rises 
to  another  '  level,'  and  deliberation  comes  to  an  im- 
mediate end. 

"  In  the  fifth  and  final  type  of  decision,  the  feeling 
that  the  evidence  is  all  in,  and  that  reason  has  balanced 
the  books,  may  be  either  present  or  absent.  But  in 
either  case  we  feel,  in  deciding,  as  if  we  ourselves  by 
our  own  wilful  act  inclined  the  beam:  in  the  former 
case  by  adding  our  living  effort  to  the  weight  of  the 
logical  reason  which,  taken  alone,  seems  powerless  to 
make  the  act  discharge ;  in  the  latter  by  a  kind  of  cre- 
ative contribution  of  something  instead  of  a  reason 
which  does  a  reason's  work.  The  slow  dead  heave 
of  the  will  that  is  felt  in  these  instances  makes  a  class 
of  them  altogether  different  subjectively  from  all  the 
four  preceding  classes.  If  examined  closely,  its  chief 
difference  from  the  former  cases  appears  to  be  that  in 

109 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

these  cases  the  mind  at  the  moment  of  deciding  on  the 
triumphant  alternative  dropped  the  other  one  wholly 
or  nearly  out  of  sight,  whereas  here  both  alternatives 
are  steadily  held  in  view,  and  in  the  very  act  of  mur- 
dering the  vanquished  possibility  the  chooser  realizes 
how  much  in  that  instant  he  is  making  himself  lose." 

These  five  methods  of  deciding  are  methods  which  we 
all  use  to  a  greater  or  less  extent.  Everyone  has  prob- 
ably experienced  each  of  them  at  some  time,  yet  some 
people  habitually  decide  by  one  method  and  others  by 
another.  The  man  who  habitually  waits  in  deciding 
till  all  the  reasons  for  and  against  a  line  of  action  are 
before  him  belongs  to  the  first  class.  The  man  who 
"  flips  a  copper  "  whenever  anything  is  to  be  decided 
belongs  to  the  second  class.  The  man  who  is  im- 
pulsive and  who  acts  "  intuitively,"  but  who  does  not 
know  why  he  acts  so,  belongs  to  the  third  class.  These 
three  classes  are  known  to  us  all.  There  is  probably 
no  one  who  decides  questions  habitually  after  the  man- 
ner described  in  Professor  James'  fourth  and  fifth 
classes. 

Of  these  five  methods  of  decision  some  are  of  little 
significance  to  the  advertiser  although  of  primal  sig- 
nificance to  the  psychologist.  The  fifth,  then,  is  of  no 
significance  to  the  advertiser  except  that  it  is  the  form 
which  he  seeks  to  obviate.  He  tries  to  get  the  public 
to  dismiss  all  thought  of  competing  articles.  To  ac- 
complish this  he  makes  no  mention  of  competitors,  but 
confines  his  argument  to  his  own  commodity.  • 

In  the  fourth  of  Professor  James'  divisions  the  per- 
no 


THE     WILL:     VARIETY     IN     ACTION 

son,  in  deciding,  passes  from  the  easy  and  careless  to 
the  sober  and  strenuous  mood.     This 

ep      °°       accounts  for  the  fact  that  certain  ad- 
of  the 

-D     ,  vertisements    may   be    seen    and   read 

Keader 

frequently  with  no  effect  for  years, 
then  suddenly  this  same  advertisement  becomes  all- 
powerful.  This  is  true  in  advertising  such  things  as 
life-insurance,  homes,  good  books,  and  other  forms  of 
merchandise  which  appeal  to  the  higher  nature  of  man. 
The  reproduced  advertisement  of  Modern  Eloquence 
(  Xo.  i )  might  not  appeal  powerfully  to  readers  while 
they  are  in  a  careless  and  easy  mood,  but  when  the 
mood  is  changed  the  same  advertisement  might  be 
most  effective. 

In  the  third  type,  which  is  mainly  a  form  of  sug- 
gestion, the  decision  is  dependent  upon  a  sudden  spon- 
taneity   of    an    emotional    nature    and 
A  "  Woman's   . 

P  „       leaves  but  little  for  the  advertiser  to 

do.  \Yomen  decide  after  this  fashion 
more  frequently  than  men.  Here  the  advertiser  can 
do  most  by  appealing  to  the  artistic  and  sentimental 
natures  of  the  possible  customers.  The  appearance  of 
the  advertisement,  of  the  store,  or  of  the  salesman  is 
not  recognized  by  the  woman  as  the  deciding  element, 
although  in  reality  it  is.  If  a  lady  were  debating  the 
question  as  to  which  goods  she  should  order,  an  appeal 
to  the  artistic  and  sentimental  might  awaken  her  emo- 
tional nature  sufficiently  to  cause  her  to  decide,  and 
that  which  awakens  the  emotion  would  be  likely  to 
be  chosen. 

ill 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 


Preparing 

for 

Greater  Opportunities 


Modern  Eloquence 
"Guide  to  Success" 


INSPIRATION  IS  vJ()NT,\(il(»i;S 


No.  1. —  The  effect  of  this  advertise- 
ment depends  upon  the  mood  of 
the  reader. 


p         A  ,  The   second   method   of   decision   is 

tising  Fairly   not   strictly  a  reasoning  type,   but   is 

Successful     one    which    approaches    action    upon 

suggestion  and  hence  anything  which 

the  advertiser  can  do  to  suggest  action  aids  in  se- 

112 


THE     WILL:     VARIETY     IX     ACTlOX 

curing  the  results  which  come  under  this  class.  This 
class  of  persons  will  not,  at  the  critical  moment,  search 
through  the  back  files  of  magazines  to  find  an  adver- 
tisement, neither  will  they  exert  themselves  to  find  a 


No.  2. —  A  poor  advertisement,  "but  one  which 
under  certain  circumstances  might  be 
fairly  successful. 


store  not  centrally  located  if  a  more  convenient  one  is 
passed  at  the  critical  moment  of  decision.  If  I  belong 
to  this  second  of  Professor  James'  classes,  and  if  I  am 
trying  to  decide  which  watch  I  shall  buy,  I  will  pur- 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

chase  the  one  which  presents  itself  to  me  at  the  psy- 
chological moment,  whether  the  presentation  be  by 
advertisement,  salesman  or  store.  An  extensive  ad- 
vertiser recently  said  that  any  kind  of  advertising 
would  succeed  if  the  advertisements  were  large  and  if 
they  appeared  frequently  enough.  This  statement  is 
certainly  not  true  but  it  does  find  some  justification 
based  on  the  decisions  of  such  persons  as  are  assigned 
to  James'  second  type.  The  reproduced  advertise- 
ment of  Pears'  Soap  (No.  2)  is  so  exceedingly  poor 
that  it  would  be  defended  by  but  few.  If  a  man  were 
debating  which  sort  of  soap  he  should  purchase  and  if 
at  the  critical  moment  he  should  see  this  advertisement 
it  might  possibly  induce  him  to  order  Pears'.  The 
reproduced  advertisement  of  Cook's  Flaked  Rice  (No. 
3)  is  similar  to  that  of  Pears'  Soap.  If  these  two  ad- 
vertisements (and  others  equally  poor)  were  given 
extensive  publicity  they  would  undoubtedly  increase  the 
sale  of  the  goods  advertised  simply  because  so  many 
persons  decide  according  to  Professor  James'  second 
class  and  because  so  many  unimportant  questions  are 
decided  by  us  all  according  to  this  method.  This  is  no 
justification  of  poor  advertising,  but  it  helps  to  explain 
why  poor  advertisements  are  sometimes  successful. 

Professor  James'  first  method  of  decision  is  of  the 
greatest  significance  to  advertisers  of  all  sorts  of  mer- 
chandise, but  especially  to  those  who  offer  goods  of  a 
high  price  and  of  such  a  nature  that  the  same  person 
purchases  but  once  or  a  few  times  during  his  life. 
Among  such  goods  would  be  included  pianos,  life-in- 

114 


THE     WILL:     VARIETY     IX     ACTION 

surance,  automobiles  and  many  other  advertised  arti- 
cles. Furthermore,  the  persons  who  frequently  use 
this  first  method  of  deciding  are  so  numerous  that  it  is 


COOKS 

FLAKED 
RICE 


DIRECTIONS 

Vew  Born  Infants: 


YOUR  GROCER 
>SELLS  IT 

C  LARGE 

PACKAGE 


No.  3. —  A  poor  advertisement,  but  one  which 
under  certain  circumstances  might  be 
fairly  successful. 

essential  to  appeal  to  the  "  reason  "  of  the  public  in  ex- 
ploiting any  kind  of  merchandise. 

The  great  diversity  in  individuals  and  the  numer- 
ous motives  which  influence  the  same  individual,  added 
to  the  apparent  complete  freedom  of  the  human  will, 

"5 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

would  seem,  combined,  to  make  an  insuperable  obstacle 

to  reasoning  with  groups  of  people  by 
Differences  ,          •  f  j  • 

.     ,,    .  any  such  means  as  the  printed  page. 

in  Motives  .    .       . 

Human  choice  has  always  been  as- 
sumed to  be  unknown,  to  be  the  one  indeterminable 
factor  in  the  universe.  In  spite  of  all  this  we  have 
come  to  see  that  human  action  is  governed  by  known 
laws  and  that  by  carefully  studying  the  nature  of 
society  and  the  influences  at  work  prophecies  may  be 
made  within  certain  limits  which  are  sufficiently  ac- 
curate for  all  practical  purposes.  Under  given  po- 
litical, social  and  industrial  conditions  the  number  and 
character  of  crimes  remain  constant.  The  suicides 
distribute  themselves  in  a  most  remarkable  manner, 
even  as  to  the  age,  occupation  and  sex  of  the  person 
and  the  manner  of  committing  the  crime.  The  num- 
ber of  marriages  each  year  is  more  regular  than  the 
number  of  deaths.  Famine  increases  the  number  of 
crimes  against  property  and  decreases  the  number  of 
marriages.  The  wise  merchant  knows  to  a  certainty 
from  the  political,  social  and  industrial  condition  of 
the  country  that  there  will  be  increased  or  decreased 
demand  for  individual  lines  of  goods.  Despite  all 
the  uncertainty  of  human  choice  he  knows  that  there 
are  certain  conditions  which  determine  the  number 
who  will  choose  his  commodity  and  take  the  pains  to 
secure  it. 

The  advertiser  is  the  diplomat  of  the  commercial 
and  industrial  world.  It  is  his  duty  to  know  the  com- 
modity to  be  exploited  and  the  public  to  be  reached. 

116 


THE     WILL:     VARIETY     IN     ACTION 

Even  though  the  commodity  to  be  sold  may  seem  very 
simple,  in  reality  it  is  not  so.  The  essential  thing  in 
every  object  is  the  relations  which  it  has  and  the  func- 
tions which  it  fulfills.  The  presentation  of  these  rela- 
tionships and  functions  in  a  way  that  will  cause 
the  possible  purchasers  to  respond  is  a  task  that  is  not 
likely  to  be  overestimated. 

The  same  goods  may  be  presented  in  a  score  of  'dif- 
ferent ways.     The  goods  remain  the   same,   but  the 
manner    of    presentation    meets    with 
Suggestion     marked  Differences  in  the  response  of 
of  Evil  Con-    .          ,  r 

the  public.     One  presentation  may  m- 
sequences  to  .  .  / 

b  A  'd  d  Vlte  susPlclon  and  another  confidence. 
Suspicion  is  nothing  but  an  exagge- 
rated tendency  to  call  up  possible  evil  consequences, 
and  confidence  is  an  unusual  absence  of  the  same  tend- 
ency. The  text  and  illustration  of  the  advertisement, 
the  make-up,  and  the  reputation  of  the  medium,  etc., 
all  unite  to  increase  or  decrease  this  tendency  to  hesi- 
tate and  call  up  possible  evil  consequences.  The  ad- 
vertiser can  not  be  too  careful  in  scrutinizing  every- 
thing that  goes  to  make  up  an  advertisement  to  see 
that  nothing  is  present  which  would  increase  the  tend- 
ency to  recall  from  the  past  experience  evil  conse- 
quences which  have  accompanied  other  actions.  The 
advertising  manager  of  a  publication  should  refuse 
not  only  all  dishonest  advertisements,  but  also  all  those 
which  would  tend  to  make  readers  suspicious,  even  if 
such  suspicions  were  ungrounded.  A  publication 
which  has  been  taken  in  the  home  for  years,  which  has 

117 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

become  trusted  because  of  long  years  of  reliable  serv- 
ice, is  inestimable  in  its  value  to  the  advertiser. 

We  frequently  hesitate  to  allow  time  for  the  sugges- 
tion of  possible  evil  consequences,  but  if  such  conse- 
quences do  not  suggest  themselves  in  too  great  a 
number  and  with  too  great  vividness,  action  may  fol- 
low. Thus  persons  often  respond  to  advertisements 
long  after  they  first  read  them.  They  could  not  be 
induced  to  respond  at  once  but  at  a  later  time  they  do 
respond,  although  there  has  been  no  additional  ground 
given  for  such  action.  We  are  all  a  little  suspicious  of 
hasty  actions  and  the  older  we  grow  the  more  sus- 
picious we  become.  It  is  frequently  wise  not  to  at- 
tempt to  secure  immediate  response,  for  it  requires 
more  effort  than  it  would  if  the  public  were  given  a 
longer  time  in  which  to  allay  their  suspicions.  Adver- 
tisers are  frequently  surprised  by  the  few  responses 
which  they  receive  at  first  from  their  advertisements 
and  by  the  great  response  which  they  secure  at  a 
later  time,  although  the  first  advertisement  was  in 
every  way  as  good  as  the  second.  There  are  persons 
who  will  answer  an  advertisement  the  first  time  they 
see  it,  but  there  are  many  others  who  will  not  do  so. 
There  are  some  who  will  answer  the  first  advertise- 
ment but  will  wait  a  week  or  so  to  answer,  others  will 
wait  till  they  see  the  second  or  third  of  the  series  and 
then  answer.  The  first  time  they  saw  the  advertise- 
ment there  was  a  personal  desire  for  the  goods  adver- 
tised, but  the  fear  of  hasty  action  was  enough  to  re- 

118 


THE     WILL:     VARIETY     IX     ACTION 

strain  action.  At  a  later  time  such  fear  is  diminished, 
and  the  mere  fact  that  the  advertisement  had  begotten 
a  desire  upon  its  first  appearance  serves  to  increase  the 
desire  upon  the  second  reading  of  the  same  or  a  similar 
advertisement.  Continuous  consecutive  advertising 
meets  the  method  of  response  both  of  those  suggestible 
creatures  who  act  without  hesitation  and  also  of  those 
who  are  too  cautious  to  respond  till  after  sufficient 
time  has  elapsed  for  all  the  evil  consequences  to  pre- 
sent themselves. 

It  was  pointed  out  above  that  deliberation  ofter  oc- 
curs because  the  presentation  of  one  line  of  action 
suggests  to  our  minds  another  similar 

and  incompatible  action.     This  sort  of 
of  Substitutes    . 

u    A     -A  A  deliberate  action,   as  also  that  result- 
to  be  Avoided 

ing  from  a  suggestion  of  evil  conse- 
quences, is  common  in  actions  where  large  interests 
are  at  stake.  In  purchasing  an  article  that  costs  some 
hundreds  of  dollars  most  persons  would  deliberate  and 
consider  other  goods  of  the  same  class.  Thus  in  pur- 
chasing a  piano  or  an  automobile  it  is  to  be  expected 
that  no  one  would  be  satisfied  with  the  presentation  of 
one  make  but  would  consider  each  make  in  relation  to 
others.  Although  this  is  true,  yet  it  is  the  function  of 
the  advertiser  to  get  the  public  to  think  of  one  par- 
ticular article,  and  the  advertiser  should  in  general 
make  no  references  to  competing  goods.  The  buyer 
may,  indeed,  think  of  such  goods  as  might  be  pur- 
chased, instead  of  those  presented  in  the  advertisement, 

119 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

but  the  advertiser  can  not  afford  to  occupy  space  in 
furthering  this  tendency.  If  the  advertisement  can 
be  so  constructed  that  it  holds  the  reader's  attention  to 
the  goods  advertised  and  does  not  suggest  competing 
goods,  it  has  done  much  to  shorten  the  period  of  de- 
liberation and  secure  decision  in  favor  of  the  goods 
advertised.  Every  slur  and  every  remark  intended  to 
weaken  the  opponent's  argument  serves  to  call  atten- 
tion to  the  goods  criticised  and  thus  to  divide  the  read- 
er's attention  and  so  keeps  the  advertisement  from 
having  its  due  weight. 

It  is  possible  to  hold  two  lines  of  action  before  us 
and  with  both  thus  attended  to,  to  decide  for  the  one 
and  against  the  other.  Such  a  decision  is  made  with 
conscious  effort,  is  unpleasing  and  is  not  common.  We 
may  debate  between  two  courses  of  action  and  hold 
both  clearly  in  mind  for  some  time,  but  at  the  moment 
of  decision  one  course  has  usually  occupied  the  mind 
completely  and  the  other,  by  dropping  from  the  at- 
tention, loses  the  contest,  and  action  in  favor  of  the 
object  occupying  the  mind  is  commenced.  What  the 
advertiser  must  do,  therefore,  is  to  help  the  reader  to 
get  rid  of  the  necessity  of  decision  by  effort,  and  he  can 
do  this  by  so  presenting  his  goods  that  they  occupy  the 
attention  completely.  Under  such  circumstances  de- 
cision becomes  easy  and  prompt. 

The  parts  of  an  advertisement  may  weaken  instead 
of  strengthen  each  other.  One  part  of  the  advertise- 
ment may  offer  a  substitute  which  causes  us  to  hesi- 
tate about  acting  upon  another  part.  It  is  possible  to 

120 


THE     WILL:     VARIETY     IN     ACTION 

present  two  articles  which  seem  equally  desirable  be- 
cause too  little  description  is  given  of  the  articles  ad- 
vertised. In  such  a  case  the  reader  is  unable  to  make 
up  his  mind  and  hesitation  and  procrastination  follow 
until  the  initial  desire  for  the  goods  has  vanished. 
"  He  who  hesitates  is  lost  "  is  a  frequent  quotation, 
but  it  would  be  more  applicable  if  we  should  change 
it  to,  "  The  possible  customer  who  is  caused  to  hesi- 
tate is  lost."  A  single  advertisement  should  not  pre- 
sent competing  goods  unless  sufficient  argument  is 
given  to  make  it  possible  for  the  reader  to  make  up  his 
mind  and  to  act  at  once. 

Xot  only  must  the  advertiser  avoid  presenting  sug- 
gestions of  evil  consequences  and  possible  substitutes 
for  his  own  commodity  but  he  must  use  the  greatest 
skill  to  discover  the  conception  which  in  any  particular 
case  \vill  lead  to  action.  In  Professor  James'  five 
methods  presented  above,  the  most  significant  thing 
in  the  discussion  is  the  following  sentence :  "  The 
conclusive  reason  for  the  decision  in  these  cases  usually 
is  the  discovery  that  we  can  refer  the  case  to  a  class 
upon  which  we  are  accustomed  to  act  unhesitatingly 
in  a  stereotyped  way.  The  moment  we  hit  upon  a 
conception  which  allows  us  to  apply  a  principle  of  ac- 
tion which  is  a  fixed  and  stable  part  of  our  Ego,  our 
state  of  doubt  is  at  an  end." 

Recently  an  attempt  was  made  to  discover  the  con- 
ceptions which  actually  are  effective  in  leading  persons 
to  answer  advertisements  and  to  purchase  advertised 
goods.  Upon  this  point  the  statements  of  several 

121 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

thousand  persons  were  examined.  The  result  was 
most  interesting  and  instructive.  Among  the  effective 
motives  or  conceptions  the  following  were  prom- 
inent : 

1.  Reliability  of  the  goods  or  the  firm. 

2.  The  goods  supply  a  present  need. 

3.  Money   considerations,   e.   g.,   cheapness,   invest- 
ment, chance  to  win. 

4.  Labor  saving,  convenient  or  useful. 

5.  Healthful. 

6.  Stylish. 

7.  An  attractive  and  frequently  repeated  advertise- 
ment. 

Of  these  seven  reasons  it  will  be  observed  that  the 
second  and  last  should  not  be  included  in  the  reasoning 
type.  In  the  second  the  goods  were  suggested  at  the 
time  they  were  needed  and  the  purchase  followed  with- 
out further  consideration.  In  the  seventh  the  pur- 
chaser was  influenced  by  the  constant  suggestion  which 
was  .offered  by  the  frequently  recurrent  attractive  ad- 
vertisement. ^ 

If  the  right  conception  is  presented  at  the  right 
time,  the  desired  action  will  follow.  In  the  repro- 
duced advertisement  of  Ivory  Soap  (No.  4)  it  is  as- 
sumed that  women  purchase  the  soap  and  that  for 
many  of  them,  including  such  as  the  one  shown  in  the 
cut,  the  purity  and.  reliability  of  the  article  is  the 
quality  of  greatest  concern.  Hence  the  conception  of 
Ivory  Soap  as  pure  and  reliable  is  the  one  conception 
above  all  others  which  will  sell  it. 

122 


THE     WILL:     VARIETY     IN     ACTION 

With  very  many  persons  it  was  found  that  a  good 
investment  is  the  conception  which  leads  to  immediate 
action.  Therefore  if  radiators  are  presented  satisfac- 
torily as  a  good  investment,  the  question  is  settled  at 
once  and  the  radiators  are  purchased.  The  repro- 


m 


m 


rySoap.    It* 
Lto  the  skin. 


No.   4. — 'Purity  as  the  controlling  conception. 

duced  advertisement  of  the  American  Radiator  Com- 
pany (No.  5),  appearing  in  women's  magazines,  was 
evidently  constructed  on  this  principle. 

Very  many  goo'ds  are  advertised,  and  with  great 
success,  as  being  labor-saving,  convenient  or  useful. 
.      123 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 


;"3%  or  vastly  more— • 
as  you  choose. 


No.  5. —  A  furnace  con- 
ceived as  a  good  in- 
vestment. 


The  reproduced  advertisement  of  Postum  Cereal 
(No.  6)  is  open  to  severe  criticism.  It  should  be 
remembered,  however,  that  there  are  many  persons  to 
whom  the  conception  of  health  is  all  powerful.  For 
such  this  advertisement  might  be  irresistible. 

124 


THE     WILL:     VARIETY     IX     ACTION 

Clothing,  diamonds,  magazines  and  hundreds  of 
other  things  are  successfully  advertised  by  emphasis 
upon  the  stylishness  of  the  goods :  upon  the  social 
prestige  enjoyed  by  their  possessors. 


SCHOOL  TEACHER 

Pulled  Down  Hill. 

-  i  relied  oo  toff*  K>  omcb  to  fee?  m.  .p.  urtag  Beta  told  .hai  it  «•  a  -urM 
iTtmul  1."  that  I  bardly  toe.  whit  to  do  .bea  1  fomd  it  »u  rally  police  "•  <*•« 
bilL  Mr  il«P  »•»  b*dl7  brokea  at  nifbt  ud  I  »u  all  oa*tnu>(.  I  imiljajlj  Mnoo. 
•ad  bnakm(  do.o  (ut.  My  .crk  ii  tcachinf  KbooL 

o«  cofe.  and  try  Po.t««  Food  toffee.     Mother  Md.  K  *r.t.  bot  »oo.  of  a.  eoa»d  «d«* 
'1C  K  »a>  M  Cat  acd  lulelcu.     Sb«  propoted  to  Uvow  Ik*  packa{<  a.ay.  but  I  Mid. 


to  boil.     I  cot  lister  to  mak*  I  be  Poetum  not  ewnuof  etrittly  accordttf  to  tntUum, 
that  U.  alto,  it  to  boil  f  oil  UU*.  mm.te.  after  tbe  bo,lm{  be,,nt. 

••  We«ere  all  eaujedac  tb*ai*eree*c.  Sat*  mii  it  .aa  better  e**Tee,  to  her  tM*a. 
than  tbe  old,  aad  father,  win  '»  an  elderly  centleraa»  «sJ  had  Med  rosTee.  aM  hi*  tie. 
appeared  to  relish  tbe  Poetum  as  ..II  u  my  Uttle  hrotb«.  .bo  took  to  tt  fro*  the.  int. 
We  wen  al!  jreat'y  improwd  in  he*Hh  aad  am  ww  *••«*«  cdvoeu**  at  Poetaa*  Food 
Co«ee.  Pleaae  oce.t  my  BUM  from  p«blk«tlBO.-  FV  ^».  CoU  Naaw  cu  l>»  |r»t»  b» 
Poatm  Cereal  Co.  Ltd.,  Battle  (.reek.  Mfcb. 


No.  6. —  This  series  of  advertisements  assumes 
the  effectiveness  of  the  conception,  health. 

It  is  a  wise  advertiser  that  can  select  the  concep- 
tions that  will  fit  into  the  principles  of  action  of  the 
greatest  number  of  possible  customers. 


125 


IX 

HABIT 


THE  term  habit  has  been  so  frequently  confined  to 

a  few  questionable  or  bad  habits  that  the  broader  sig- 

.      ,  nificance  of  the  term  is  ordinarily  lost. 

c*  A        We  are  all  creatures  of  habit  and  have 
ing  otudy 

some  good  and  some  bad  ones.  It  is 
an  interesting  study  for  any  one  to  observe  his  own 
actions  and  thoughts  and  to  see  what  he  does  habit- 
ually. I  tried  recently  to  make  such  a  study  of  my- 
self, but  found  that  if  I  should  be  compelled  to  record 
all  my  habitual  actions  and  thoughts  it  would  keep  a 
stenographer  busy  all  day  and  a  camera  would  have  to 
be  directed  toward  me  for  every  move  I  made.  I 
found  that  I  got  out  of  bed  in  the  morning  in  a  way 
peculiar  to  myself.  I  put  on  my  clothes  in  a  stereo- 
typed order.  I  put  my  left  shoe  on  first  —  I  always 
do.  I  put  my  coat  on  by  putting  on  my  right  sleeve 
first,  and  when  I  tried  to  reverse  the  order  I  found  it 
very  difficult.  I  picked  up  the  morning  paper  and 
glanced  over  the  first  page;  then  I  turned  to  the  last 
page  and  from  there  looked  through  the  paper  from 
the  last  to  the  first  page  and  so  ended  where  I  had 
begun.  This  is  my  habitual  method  of  reading  the 
morning  paper,  although  I  had  not  observed  the  fact 
till  that  time. 

I  put  sugar  on  my  breakfast  food  first  and  added 
crea'm  later.  The  manner  in  which  I  arose  from  the 
table,  put  on  my  hat  and  left  the  house  was  peculiar 

126 


HABIT 


to  myself.  My  manner  of  walking  was  such  that  my 
friends,  seeing  me  in  the  distance,  knew  me.  I  walked 
down  town  by  the  same  street  which  I  had  been 
going  over  for  years,  although  there  were  several  other 
streets  equally  good  and  convenient.  I  addressed  my 
friends  in  such  a  manner  that  they  recognized  me  even 
when  they  did  not  see  me.  I  took  up  my  work  and 
went  through  it  in  a  regular  routine. 

The  actions  as  described  above  were  not  reasoned 
out  and  followed  because  they  were  the  most  rational. 
I  observed  my  brother's  actions  at  all  these  points  and 
found  that  at  every  point  his  habits  were  different  from 
mine.  His  actions  were  as  reasonable  as  mine  but  not 
more  so.  Throughout  the  day  I  found  that  the  great 
majority  of  my  actions  and  thoughts  were  merely 
habitual  and  were  performed  without  conscious  desire 
or  deliberation. 

The  fact  of  habit  has  been  a  matter  of  marvel  and 
wonder  for  centuries,  but  an  explanation  of  the  phe- 
nomenon has  been  left  to  modern  psv- 

Habits  and  .  . 

Plasticity      chol°gy-  bend  a  P'ece-ef-psper 

and  crease  it  the  crease  will  remain, 
even  if  the  paper  is  straightened  out  again.  The  pa- 
per is  plastic,  and  plasticity  means  simply  that  the  sub- 
stance offers  some  resistance  to  adopting  a  new  form, 
but  when  the  new  form  is  once  impressed  upon  it,  it 
retains  it.  Some  effort  is  required  to  overcome  the 
plasticity  of  the  paper  and  to  form  the  crease,  but 
when  the  crease  is  once  formed  the  plasticity  of  the 
paper  preserves  the  crease. 

,  127 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

There  is  a  most  intimate  relation  between  our  brains 
and  our  thoughts.  Every  time  we  think  there  is  a 
slight  change  taking  place  in  the  delicate  nerve  cells 
which  compose  a  large  part  of  the  brain.  Every  ac- 
tion among  these  cells  leaves  its  indelible  mark,  or 
"  crease,"  for  the  nerve  su^stajace-^j^lastic.  (it  is  easy 
for  the  paper  to  bend  where  it  has  been  creased  and 
it  is  likewise  easy  for  action  to  take  place  in  the  brain 
where  it  has  taken  place  before.J  That  is  why  it  is  so 
easy  to  think  our  old  habitual  thoughts  and  why  it 
is  so  hard  to  think  new  thoughts  or  to  perform  new 
movements.  When  a  thought  has  been  thought  or 
an  action  performed  many  times,  the  crease  becomes 
so  well  established  that  thinking  and  acting  along  that 
crease  are  easier  than  other  thoughts  or  actions,  and  so 
these  easier  ones  are  said  to  have  become  habitual.  L 
a  very  real  sense  the  thoughts  and  the  actions  form  th< 
brain,  and  then  when  the  brain  is  formed  its  plasticity 
is  so  great  that  it  determines  our  future  thinking  and; 
acting. 

This  is  well  shown  in  the  case  of  language.     It  is 

ordinarily  true  that  no  one  ever  learns  a   language 

I  after   he   is   twenty-five   years   old    so 

T  T.r     well  that/ he  can  speak  it  without  an 

Late  in  Life  / 

accent.  ^\s  far  as  language  is  con- 
cerned a  person  seems  to  be  fixed  or  creased  by  the 
time  he  is  twenty-five  and  he  can  never  get  rid  of  his 
former  habits  of  speech^  Few  men  ever  learn  to  dress 
well  unless  they  have  acquired  the  art  in  their  youth. 
We  all  know  men  who  have  acquired  wealth  in  middle 

128 


HABIT 


life  and  who  have  tried  to  be  good  dressers,  but  in 
vain.  They  go  to  the  best  tailors,  but  something 
about  them  betrays  their  former  habits.  Qtn  all  these 
things  we  see  that  we  first  form  our  brains,  and  then 
when  they  are  once  formed  (creased)  they  determine 
what  we  shall  do  and  be. 

This  relationship  of  the  mind  to  the  brain  in  the 
formation  of  habits  may  be  illustrated  by  the  paths  in 
a  forest.  In  the  densest  forest  there  are  still  some 
paths  where  you  can  walk  with  ease.  Some  person  or 
some  animal  walks  along  in  a  particular  direction  and 
breaks  down  some  of  the  weeds  and  'briars.  Some 
one  else  follows,  and  every  time  that  any  one  walks  in 
this  path  it  becomes  easier.  Here  the  weeds  and 
briars  are  trampled  on  and  kept  out  of  the  way.  In 
all  the  other  places  the  briars  have  grown  up  and 
made  it  almost  impossible  to  walk  through  them. 

Every  thought  we  think  forms  a  pathway  through 
our  brains  and  makes  it  easier  for  every  other  similar 
thought.  We  think  along  certain  lines  and  that  is  the 
same  as  saying  that  we  have  formed  certain  pathways 
of  thought  through  our  brains.  It  is  easy  now  to 
think  these  habitual  thoughts  but  to  think  a  new 
thought  is  like  beating  a  new  path  through  a  forest 
while  to  think  along  the  old  lines  is  like  following  the 
old  paths  where  advance  is  easy.  A  habit  in  the  brain 
is  like  a  path  in  a  forest.  We  know  how  easy  it  is  to 
take  the  old  path  and  how  hard  it  is  to  form  a  new  one. 
We  see  how  easy  it  is  to  think  the  old  thoughts  and  to 
do  the  old  things  and  how  difficult  the  new  ones  are. 

129 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    O\F    ADVERTISING 

\ 

As  habits  play  such  a  large  pa^t  in  all  of  our  think- 
ing  and   acting    it    is    important  \that   the   advertiser 
should  understand  what  habits  are  and 

_  how  he  can  make  the  most  of  the  sit- 

Personal 

T,  .  ..  nation.     He  should  observe  the  work- 

rleiDits 

ing  of  the  laws  of  habit  in  his  own  life. 

/If  he  could  realize  that  everything  he  does  leaves  on  his 
I  brain  an  impression  which  is  to  be  a  determining  factor 
\  in  all  his  future,  he  would  be  extremely  careful  as 
to  what  he  thinks  and  what  he  does,  even  in  private) 
The  success  of  the  advertiser  depends  to  an  exception- 
ally great  degree  upon  the  confidence  of  the  public. 
If  we  know  that  a  man  acts  uniformly  in  an  honest 
manner  we  have  such  confidence  in  him  that  we  call 
him  an  honest  man  and  we  believe  that  he  will  not 
break  his  habit  of  honesty  in  the  future  and  we  are 
therefore  willing  to  trust  him.  Thus,  whether  we 
think  of  single  actions  as  determining  our  future  char- 
acters or  whether  we  think  of  them  as  determining  the 
estimation  in  which  we  shall  be  held  by  others,  there 
are  no  incentives  to  right  actions  comparable  with  the 
inflexible  laws  of  habit  when  these  laws  are  fully 
appreciated. 

The  advertiser  is  likely  to    '  get  into  a  rut  "  in  his 
line  of  thinking  and  consequently  in  his  presentation 

of   his   commodity   before   the   public. 
Getting  Into   __  t 

"  R  t   "  should  see  to  it  that  he  does  not 

allow  his  habits  gradually  but  surely 
to  make  impossible  to  him  new  forms  of  expression 
and  new  lines  of  thinking  and  writing.  It  takes  great 

130 


HABIT 


and  determined  effort  to  overcome  an  old  habit  or  to 
form  a  new  one,  but  the  advertiser  should  in  many 
cases  make  the  necessary  effort;  otherwise  he  is 
doomed  to  become  an  "  old  fogy."  ^ 

The  public,  which  the  advertiser  addresses,  is  sub- 
ject to  the  same  laws  of  habit  as  the  advertiser. 
Each  of  the  potential  customers  has  formed  a  rut  in 
his  thinking  and  thinks  along  that  particular  line  or 
lines.  The  advertiser  must  know  his  customers.  He 
must  know  their  habits  of  thought,  for  it  is  too  diffi- 
cult to  attempt  to  get  them  to  think  along  new  lines. 
He  must  present  his  commodity  in  such  a  way  that 
the  readers  can  understand  it  without  being  compelled 
to  think  a  new  thought.  The  advertisement  should 
conform  to  their  habitual  modes  of  thought,  and  then 
the  customers  can  read  it  and  understand  it  with  ease. 

Habit  gives  regularity  and  persistence  to  our  actions. 
Some  people  have  formed  the  habit  of  looking  at  the 

last   pages   in   magazines   before   thev 
Your  Cus-     .     .  ,  c  111 

look  at  the  others.     Some  people  look 
tomers 
TT  k't          more  at  the  right  page  than  at  the  left. 

Some  glance  first  at  the  top  of  the 
page,  and  if  that  does  not  look  interesting  the  page  is 
passed  by  without  a  glance  at  the  bottom  or  middle. 
The  wise  advertiser  is  always  alert  to  detect  these  hab- 
its and  to  profit  by  his  discovery. 

\Yhen  game  is  plentiful  and  hunters  few,  any  marks- 
man may  be  successful  in  bagging  game.  As  soon, 
however,  as  competition  becomes  keen  only  that  marks- 
man is  successful  who  understands  the  habits  of  the 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

game  sought  and  who  plans  his  method  of  approach 
according  to  the  habits  of  the  game.  When  adver- 
tising was  more  primitive  than  it  is  to-day  and  when 
competition  was  less  keen,  any  printer  or  reporter 
might  have  been  successful  in  advertising,  but  to-day 
no  man  can  be  successful  who  does  not  plan  his  cam- 
paign according  to  the  habits  of  the  public  which  he 
must  reach. 

^The  action  of  habit  gives  great  value  to  advertising 
by  making  the  effect  of  the  advertisement  to  be  not 

T»      i     -n/r  j    merely  transient  but  permanent!)    If  an 
Results  Made  J.  *3 

Permanent  advertisement  can  get  persons  started 
to  purchasing  a  particular  brand  of 
goods  it  has  done  much  more  than  sell  the  goods 
in  the  immediate  present;  for  when  people  do  a 
thing  once  it  is  easier  to  get  them  to  do  it  again,  and 
habits  are  formed  by  just  such  repetitions.  In  the  first 
instance  the  purchaser  may  have  been  induced  to  act 
only  after  much  hesitation,  but  after  a  few  repetitions 
the  act  becomes  almost  automatic  and  requires  little 
or  no  deliberation.  Habitual  acts  are  always  per- 
formed without  deliberation,  and  there  is  a  uniform- 
ity and  a  certainty  about  them  which  differentiates 
them  from  other  forms  of  actions. 

One  great  aim  of  the  advertiser  is  to  induce  the 
public  to  get  the  habit  of  using  his  particular  line  of 
goods.  When  the  habit  is  once  formed  it  acts  as  a 
great  drive-wheel  and  makes  further  action  easy  in 
the  same  direction.  It  often  takes  extensive  adver- 
tising to  get  the  public  into  the  habit,  and  the  amount 

132 


HABIT 


of  sales  may  not  warrant  the  expense  during  the  first 
year,  but  since  a  habit  formed  is  a  positive  asset  such 
campaigns  may  be  profitable. 

The  advertiser  of  Pears'  soap  quoted  a  great  truth 
when  he  put  this  at  the  head  of  his  advertisement, 
"  How  use  doth  breed  a  habit."  If  he  could  by  adver- 
tising get  persons  to  using  Pears'  soap  he  would  get 
them  into  the  habit  of  using  it,  and  so  the  advertise- 
ment would  be  an  active  agent  in  inducing  the  cus- 
tomers to  continue  to  buy  the  soap  even  long  years 
after  the  advertisement  had  ceased  to  appear. 

Many  advertisers  work  on  the  theory  that  as  soon 
as  they  have  got  the  public  into  the  habit  of  using  theit 
goods  they  can  stop  their  advertising  and  the  sales  will 
go  right  on.  There  is  much  truth  in  this  but  also  a 
great  error.  It  takes  so  much  effort  to  form  the  habit 
that  when  it  is  once  formed  it  should  be  made  the  most 
of.  This  can  best  be  done  by  continuing  the  adver- 
tising, thus  taking  advantage  of  the  habit  by  secur- 
ing prompt  responses  and  at  the  same  time  taking  care 
to  preserve  the  habit. 


133 


X 

THE   HABIT   OF   READING   ADVER- 
TISEMENTS 

As  was  shown  in  the  preceding  chapter,  we  are  all 
creatures  of  habit.  One  of  the  habits  which  most  of 
us  have  acquired  is  that  of  reading  advertisements. 
The  fact  that  this  has  become  habitual  gives  it  a  per- 
manence and  regularity  similar  to  that  of  our  other 
habits.  Like  other  habits,  too,  we  are  frequently  not 
conscious  of  it.  i  had  formed  a  fixed  habit  of  putting 
on  my  right  sleeve  before  the  left  one,  and  yet  for 
years  I  did  not  know  it  —  would  have  denied  it.  Peo- 
ple have  told  me  that  they  never  look  at  the  advertising 
pages  of  a  magazine,  when,  in  fact,  they  scarcely  ever 
take  up  a  magazine  without  "  glancing  "  at  the  ad- 
vertisements. 

One  lady  told  me  that  she  was  sure  she  never  paid 
any  attention  to  advertisements,  and  yet  within  an 
hour  after  making  such  a  statement  she  was  engaged 
in  a  conversation  about  articles  which  she  knew  only 
from  statements  appearing  in  the  advertising  columns 
of  her  periodicals.  I  observed  her  reading  magazines 
and  found  that  she  seldom  slighted  the  advertisements. 
Thousands  of  magazine  readers  read  advertisements 
more  than  they  are  aware. 

I  asked  several  professional  advertising  men  as  to 
the  number  of  persons  who  read  advertisements  and 
the  time  which  people  in  general  devote  to  them.  Some 

134 


READING    ADVERTISEMENTS 

of  these  men  assured  me  that  all  persons  who  pick  up 
a  magazine  look  at  the  advertisements,  and  that  they 
put  in  as  much  time  in  reading  them  as  they  do  in  read- 
ing the  body  of  the  magazine.  I  felt  convinced  that 
the  advertising  men  were  as  wide  of  the  mark  as  the 
group  first  mentioned.  It  is  not  possible  to  find  out 
how  much  other  people  read  advertisements  by  observ- 
ing one's  self,  by  asking  personal  friends,  or  by  ask- 
ing those  engaged  in  the  business  of  advertising.  To 
know  whether  people  in  general  read  the  advertise- 
ments or  not  it  is  necessary  to  watch  a  large  number 
of  persons  who  are  reading  magazines,  to  keep  an  ac- 
curate account  of  the  number  who  are  reading  the  ad- 
vertisements and  of  those  who  are  reading  the  articles 
in  the  body  of  the  magazine.  The  observation  should 
be  made  on  different  classes  of  persons,  in  homes,  clubs, 
libraries,  on  trains  —  wherever  and  under  whatever 
conditions  people  are  in  the  habit  of  reading  publica- 
tions which  contain  advertisements. 

Some  months  ago  I  visited  the  reading-room  of  the 
Chicago  Public  Library.  In  this  room  several  hun- 
dred men  are  constantly  reading  newspapers  and  mag- 
azines —  principally  magazines.  At  almost  any  hour 
of  the  day  one  hundred  men  may  be  found  there  read- 
ing magazines.  There  is  a  very  large  number  of  mag- 
azines to  choose  from,  the  chairs  are  comfortable  and 
the  light  is  good.  In  front  of  some  of  the  chairs  are 
tables  on  which  the  magazine  may  be  rested.  There 
are  no  conveniences  for  answering  a  mail-order  ad- 
vertisement at  once,  but  that  might  not  detract  from 

135 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

the  reading  of  such  advertisements.  Some  of  the  men 
who  read  there  have  but  a  few  minutes  to  stay,  while 
others  are  there  to  spend  the  day.  As  I  looked  over 
the  room  to  see  how  many  were  reading  advertise- 
ments, it  seemed  to  me  that  a  large  part  of  them  were 
thus  engaged. 

To  know  just  how  many  are  reading  at  any  particu- 
lar moment,  the  following  plan  of  investigation  was 
followed.     I  began  at  the  first  table 

and,  unobserved  by  the  readers,  turned 
gation  Con-  f      _ 

d     t  d         my  attention  to  the  first  man.     If  he 

was  reading  from  the  body  of  the  mag- 
azine, I  took  what  data  I  wanted  from  him,  jotted 
them  down  on  my  notebook  and  then  turned  to  his 
neighbor  and  took  the  data  from  him,  etc.  A  man 
was  reported  as  reading  the  advertisements  if  he  was 
reading  them  the  very  first  moment  I  turned  my  atten- 
tion to  him.  In  every  case  this  first  observation  de- 
termined the  points  in  question.  Thus,  if  I  turned  my 
attention  to  a  man  who  was  looking  at  the  last  page 
of  the  advertisements,  and  if  the  very  next  moment  he 
turned  to  the  reading  matter,  he  was  still  reported  as 
reading  advertisements.  On  the  other  hand,  if  at  my 
first  observation  he  was  just  finishing  his  story  in  the 
body  of  the  magazine  and  if,  during  the  next  few  min- 
utes, he  was  engaged  in  reading  advertisements,  he  was 
still  reported  as  not  reading  advertisements.  By  this 
system  the  same  results  are  secured  as  we  should  get 
by  taking  a  snap-shot  of  the  room.  We  get  the  exact 
number  who  are  reading  advertisements  at  any  mo- 

136 


READING     ADVERTISEMENTS 

ment  of  time.  Where  there  was  a  single  column  of 
advertisements  next  to  a  single  column  of  reading  mat- 
ter at  which  the  subject  was  looking,  it  was  sometimes 
impossible. to  tell  what  he  was  reading.  In  all  cases  of 
doubt  the  man  was  not  counted  at  all.  There  were, 
however,  but  few  such  cases. 

I  made  six  visits  to  the  library,  going  on  different 

days  of  the  week,  different  seasons  of  the  year  and 

different  hours  of  the  day.     At  each 

f ,    visit  I  made  observations  on  one  hun- 
Readmg  Ad- 

dred   men    who   were    reading   maga- 
vertisements 

zines.  Of  the  first  hundred  observed 
eighty-eight  were  reading  from  the  body  of  the  mag- 
azine and  twelve  were  reading  advertisements.  Of 
the  second  hundred  six  were  reading  advertisements. 
Of  the  third  hundred  fifteen  were  reading  advertise- 
ments. Of  the  fourth  hundred  sixteen  were  reading 
advertisements.  Of  the  fifth  hundred  only  five  were 
reading  advertisements.  Of  the  sixth  hundred  eleven 
were  reading  advertisements.  Making  a  summary  of 
the  six  hundred  magazine  readers,  I  found  sixty-five 
reading  advertisements  and  four  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  reading  from  the  body  of  the  magazine.  That  is 
to  say,  io!/2  4*£r ;cent.^of  ^all the  jmen  observed  were 
reading  ady^rtisemejats. 

At  my  request  a  gentleman  made  similar  tests  at  the 
same  library,  and  his  final  results  were  in  remarkable 
harmony  with  those  given  above.  Of  all  the  men  he 
observed,  exactly  ten  per  cent,  were  reading  advertise- 
ments. 

137 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

The  fact  that  only  ten  per  cent,  of  the  men  were 
reading  advertisements  at  any  one  point  of  time  is  not 
at  all  equivalent  to  saying  that  only  one-tenth  of  them 
read  —  or  glanced  at  —  the  advertisements.  A  large 
part  of  them  turned  over  the  advertising  pages,  but 
they  turned  them  hastily  and  did  not  stop  to  read  them 
unless  in  some  way  they  were  particularly  interesting. 
Some  of  the  men  were  looking  at  the  pictures  in  the 
advertising  pages;  some  of  them  were  glancing  at  the 
display  and  reading  nothing  which  was  not  particular- 
ly prominent;  others  were  reading  the  complete  argu- 
ment of  the  advertisement.  As  far  as  I  could  tell, 
most  of  those  who  were  looking  through  the  advertise- 
ments were  not  engaged  in  any  serious  attempt  to  un- 
derstand the  argument,  and  were  reading  in  a  hasty 
and  indifferent  manner.  Indeed,  it  was  the  exception 
rather  than  the  rule  that  any  advertisement  was  read 
from  beginning  to  end. 

It  is  quite  certain  that  the  data  thus  far  secured 
are  not  sufficient  for  any  generalization  as  to  the  exact 

TI,  r       time  or  proportion  of  time  which  the 

Women  In- 
terested Most  £eneral  public  devotes  to  the  advertis- 
ing columns  of  periodicals.     It  is  quite 
generally   believed   that   women   read   advertisements 
more  than  men,  but  in  all  the  tests  referred  to  above, 
the  data  were  secured  only  from  men.     In  the  second 
place,  it  is  true  that  the  regular  subscribers  to  periodi- 
cals read  them  more  nearly  from  cover  to  cover  than 
readers  who  drop  into  a  library  to  read.     Magazine 

138 


READING    ADVERTISEMENTS 

readers  on  a  train  frequently  have  but  a  single  copy 
of  a  magazine  at  hand,  and  as  trips  are  usually  some- 
what prolonged,  the  traveler  frequently  not  only  reads 
the  text  matter  but  reads  many  of  the  advertisements 
completely.  Another  element  which  enters  into  the 
question,  as  here  investigated,  is  found  in  the  fact  that 
among  such  abundance  of  periodicals  the  reader  be- 
comes somewhat  bewildered,  tries  to  glance  through 
many  papers  and  does  not  read  so  carefully  as  he 
would  ordinarily  do  under  other  circumstances.  Un- 
der these  circumstances  the  data  at  hand  can  not  show 
more  than  certain  general  tendencies  and  certain  spe- 
cific facts  as  to  how  one  class  of  readers  is  in  the 
habit  of  reading  the  advertisements  in  magazines  un- 
der the  conditions  mentioned  above. 

The  tendency  to  rush  through  the  advertising  pages 
of  magazines,  which  w^as  so  clearly  present  in  the 
Chicago  Public  Library,  is,  I  believe,  a  general  tend- 
ency. Many  people  turn  every  page  of  the  advertising 
columns  of  a  magazine  and  read  none  of  the  advertise- 
ments through.  It  would  not  be  fair  to  assume  from 
the  data  on  hand  that  the  average  magazine  reader 
spends  ten-fold  as  much  time  on  the  text  as  he  does  on 
the  advertisements,  but  it  is  quite  certain  that  he  spends 
a  comparatively  short  time  on  the  advertisements.  If 
the  readers  in  libraries  spend  anything  like  tenfold  as 
much  time  on  the  text  as  on  the  advertisements,  and 
if  there  is  a  general  tendency  with  most  readers  to 
rush  through  or  glance  at  the  advertisements,  it  be- 

139 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

ho^wejjj^ejadyjrtise^^  actual  .conditions 

and  to  construct  his  advertisements  according  to  the 
habits  of  magazine  readers. 

If  the  presentation  of  his  goods  is  to  be  seen  but  a 


Wilson's  Outside  Venetians 


cicludr  »un.  .  Bron/c  SupportlngTapes, 
H'iliffl  Hinilslia\ttrr 
rM.   CU 


Can  be  used  »t  m  blind  or  aa  awning  at 
will.    Can  be  pulled  up  out  ol  fight  II  de- 
tlred.    Slits  open  and  close.    Admit  air, 
oding  and  most  durable.     Oroen  ibould   c  rltced  NOW  lor  Simaxr  tt^trj. 

f  MLflftkr,!trtl/f.Cf*Sn&,  J.  S. 


J-  O.  WILSON  CO.,   5  West  2Qth  St.,  New  York 

No.   1. —  An  illustration  that  illustrates. 

fraction  of  a  second,  that  fraction  must  be  made  to 

,  T11  \  count.     The  cut  used  should  be  not  a 

/Illustrations^ 

/       cu     u        mere  picture  but  an  illustration.     The 
i          onoula 
V      niustrate     lcut  should  be  made  to  speak  for  itself 

V  -^and  to  tell  the  story  so  distinctly  that 

at  a  glance  the  gist  of  the  advertisement  is  compre- 
hended. Thus,  in  the  advertisement  of  Wilson's  Out- 
side Venetians  (No.  i),  reproduced  herewith,  the  illus- 
tration shows  just  how  the  ware  looks  and  what  it 

140 


READING     ADVERTISEMENTS 

is  good  for.  Even  in  the  most  hasty  glance  the  reader 
is  enabled  to  get  a  good  idea  of  the  appearance  and 
use  of  this  commodity.  If  he  is  interested  in  such 
goods  at  all,  this  knowledge  will  often  lead  him  to 
read  the  entire  advertisement.  If  he  passes  the  adver- 
tisement with  a  single  glance  he  will  still  be  affected 
with  what  he  has  seen. 

The  advertisement  of  the  Venus  Drawing  Pencil, 


No.     2. —  This     illustration     tells     nothing 
about  the  goods  advertised. 

reproduced  herewith,  (Xo.  2)  has  a  beautiful  pic- 
ture, but  it  tells  nothing  about  the  goods  advertised. 
I  know  nothing  more  about  Venus  Drawing  Pencils 
after  seeing  this  picture  than  I  did  before.  Many  peo- 
ple look  at  this  picture  as  they  turn  the  pages  of  the 
magazine,  and  yet  they  never  discover  that  it  has  any- 
thing to  do  with  pencils.  They  remember  the  picture, 
but  do  not  take  the  trouble  to  notice  what  it  is  sup- 
posed to  advertise. 

In  the  advertisement  reproduced  herewith,  the  type 
141 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

display,  "Advertising  Taught  by  Mail,"  (No.  3) 
gives  the  gist  of  the  whole  matter.  Every  one  who 
glances  at  the  advertisement  understands  it.  If  he 
sees  nothing  more  than  the  display  of  type,  he  has  seen 
enough  to  understand  what  it  is  all  about  and  to  be  in- 
fluenced in  favor  of  the  idea  there  presented.  The 
next  time  he  turns  over  the  pages  of  a  magazine  con- 
taining this  advertisement  his  attention  will  be  at- 
tracted by  this  familiar  display.  Every  time  he  sees 


Advertising 

Taught  by  Mail 

Send  today  for  fre«  test  blank  which  etiabtes  us 
to  advise  you  what  your  prospects  are  for  success. 
This  Is  the  largest,  most  successful  and  most  Influen- 
tial institution  teaching  the  science,  art  ind  prac- 
tice of  advertising.  Successful  students  every- 
where earning  doable  previous  incomes  who 
learned  at  home  by  giving  spare  time  only  for 
from  three  to  six  months. 

CHICAGO  COLLEGE  OF  ADVERTISING 
91O   William*  Building,       .      Chicago 
Owned  and  conducted  by  lOlead* 
ing    Chicago    Advertising    men.        <$ 


No.  3. —  The  display  type  gives  the  gist  of  the  business. 

this  advertisement  the  suggestion  in  favor  of  it  be- 
comes stronger  and  yet  the  reader  himself  may  not  be 
conscious  of  such  influence. 

In  the  advertisement  reproduced  herewith,  the  type 
display,  "Wanted  —  Good  Neighbors,"  (No.  4)  does 
not  indicate  in  any  way  that  the  advertisement  is  one 
of  real  estate.  A  person  could  glance  at  this  advertise- 
ment a  score  of  times,  but  he  would  know  no  more 
about  it  when  he  had  seen  it  the  last  time  than  he  did 
after  he  had  seen  it  the  first  time.  It  has  nothing  to 

142 


READING    ADVERTISEMENTS 

say  to  the  casual  reader,  and  would  be  weakened  rather 
than  strengthened  by  repetition. 

The  type  display  should  not  be  merely  to  attract  at- 
tention, but  must  tell  a  story  and  tell  it  quickly.     The 
display    type    and    the    picture    which 

merely  attract  and  do  not  instruct  are 
Display 

in  many  cases  worthless,  for  in  attract- 
ing attention  to  themselves  they  divert  the  attention 

Wanted— 
Good  Neighbors 

Who  Value  Good  Neighbors  and  a  Good 
Neighborhood  About  Their  Summer  Homes. 

I  want  a  man— or  rather  three  or  four  men  with  $3,000  to  $4,000 
each,  who  care  as  much  for  a  beautiful  summer  home  as  I  do,  to 
write  me  and  let  me  tell  them  of  a  property  I  am  holding  in  the 
most  beautiful  part  of  Michigan,  for  myself  and  for  them.  I  am 
not  a  real  estate  agent.  I  am  just  what  I  here  profess  to  be.  a 
seeker  for  a  beautiful  summer  home  for  myself,  with  good  neigh- 
bors. It  won't  cost  you  anything  to  write  to  me  and  let  me  send 
you  some  photographs  and  details.  And  write  now,  please,  as  i 
do  not  care  to  advertise  this  again.  GEORGE  MILLS  ROGERS, 
too  Washington  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

No.  4. —  Lacking  in  indicativeness. 

from  the  thing  advertised.  The  picture  and  the  mean- 
ingless headline  will  interest  some  people  so  much  that 
they  will  stop  and  read  the  advertisement  through  to 
try  to  figure  out  what  it  all  means.  But  the  great 
majority  of  the  readers  will  not  stop  at  any  particular 
advertisement,  and  unless  they  get  something  at  a 
glance  they  get  nothing  at  all.  A  large  number  of 
magazine  readers  see  each  advertisement,  but  only  a 

143 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

few  of  them  will  stop  to  read  it  through.  The  ad- 
vertiser must  learn  to  make  the  best  possible  use  of 
this  casual  glance  of  the  multitude.  Since  many  see 
the  display  and  but  few  read  the  argument,  an  at- 
tempt should  be  made  to  construct  a  display  that  will 
not  merely  attract  attention  to  itself,  but  be  so  con- 
structed that  it  will  beget  interest  in  the  goods  adver- 
tised. 

Few  people  will  admit  that  they  are  greatly  in- 
fluenced by  advertising.  I  have  discussed  the  ques- 
tion with  many  persons,  and  I  have  yet  to  find  the  first 
one  who  believes  that  he  is  materially  influenced  by 
magazine  advertising  in  the  purchases  which  he  makes. 
One  great  cause  for  this  personal  delusion  is  found  in 
the  habit  which  they  have  formed  of  glancing  through 
the  advertising  pages.  They  turn  the  pages  rapidly 
and  the  individual  advertisement  makes  so  little  im- 
pression that  it  is  not  remembered  by  them  as  having 
been  seen  at  all. 

To    Say    tJTaJ-JJTg^Hvprtisfm^nt    is    fnrgnttpn    is    nojt 

equivalent  to  saying  that  it  hasjiot  macje  a  lasting  im- 

,  pc£ssien.     If   I   should   glance   at   the 
Unrecognized  ,        .  .      ,._ 

IT  i         r  AJ    same  advertisement  in  different  mag- 
Value  of  Ad- 

azmes  for  each  month  for  a  number 
vertisements  ... 

of  years,  it  is  quite  possible  that  these 

single  glances  would  be  forgotten.  I  might  not  rp- 
xmember  ever  having  seen  an  advertisement,  and  yet  my 
familiarity  with  the  goods  advertised  might  seem  so 
great  that  I  should  believe  that  some  of  my  acquaint- 

144 


READING    ADVERTISEMENTS 

ances  had  recommended  them  to  me  or  that  1  had  used 
the  goods  years  before. 

The  following  instance,  which  was  also  referred  to 
in  the  chapter  on  Suggestion,  illustrates  this  point  per- 
fectly. For  years  I  have  seen  the  advertisements  of  a 
certain  tailor.  Recently  I  entered  his  shop  and  or- 
dered a  suit  of  clothes.  It  so  happened  that  the  pro- 
prietor, who  was  conducting  a  vigorous  advertising 
campaign,  waited  on  me  himself.  As  he  took  my  order 
he  asked  me  whether  he  had  been  recommended  to  me. 
I  promptly  replied  that  he  had.  I  then  began  to  try 
to  recall  who  had  recommended  him,  but  found  that 
I  could  not  recall  any  such  recommendation.  I  had 
seen  his  advertisement  so  often  that  I  had  forgotten 
the  particular  advertisements,  but  had  retained  the 
information  which  they  had  imparted.  I  had  evidently 
confused  the  source  of  my  information,  for  I  fully 
believed  that  I  had  heard  from  some  of  my  friends 
that  this  particular  tailor  was  especially  trustworthy. 
If  he  had  asked  me  whether  I  had  been  influenced  by 
his  advertisements  or  not,  I  might  have  answered  that 
they  had  had  nothing  to  do  with  it,  although  in  fact 
they  were  the  only  source  of  my  information  about 
him  and  evidently  were  entirely  responsible  for  the 
sale. 

(^The  oftener  we  see  an  advertisement,  the  fewer  are 
the  chances  that  we  will  remember  where  we  saw  it, 
but  the  greater  becomes  our  feeling  of  familiarity 
with  the  goods  advertised. ")  As  soon  as  we  become 

145 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

familiar  with  the  goods  in  this  way  and  unmindful 

of  the   source   of  the   familiarity,   we 
Familiarity  ....    ,  ,  .  ,  .     ,  \     . 

With  the  are  l^y  to  be  subject  to  this  delusion 
G  ods  °^  suPPosm§"  that  we  have  heard  our 
friends  recommend  the  goods.  Most 
people  still  are  prejudiced  against  advertisements,  and 
would  not  purchase  the  goods  if  they  realized  that  their 
only  source  of  information  about  the  firm  and  about 
the  goods  was  the  advertisement;  but  as  soon  as  they 
forget  the  source  of  the  information  they  are  perfectly 
willing  to  buy  the  goods,  although  they  would  repu- 
diate the  statement  that  they  had  been  influenced  by 
the  advertisements.  If  a  merchant  should  ask  his 
customers  whether  they  had  been  influenced  largely 
by  his  advertisements  or  not,  he  would  certainly  re- 
ceive a  very  discouraging  report,  and  would  be  in- 
clined to  give  up  his  advertisements  as  worthless, 
when,  in  fact,  nothing  but  his  advertisements  had  in- 
duced them  to  come  to  his  store. 

The  habit  which  the  public  has  formed  of  reading 
advertisements  so  hastily  makes  it  difficult  for  the  ad- 
vertisement writer  to  construct  his  advertisements  to 
meet  the  emergency  of  the  case;  it  makes  it  difficult 
for  the  merchant  to  discover  the  direct  results  of  his 
advertising  campaign,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  it  makes 
the  right  sort  of  advertising  peculiarly  effective,  by 
making  the  reader  more  susceptible  to  confusion  as  to 
the  source  of  his  information. 


146 


L~ 

XI 

THE  LAWS  OF  PROGRESSIVE 
THINKING 

Ix  acquiring  simple  acts  of  skill  we  all  use  in  the 
main  the  "  try,  try  again  "  method.     This  is  technic- 
ally known  as  the  "  trial  and  error  " 

Four  Proc-  ,     ,      Axr       .      .      ,  : 7... 

method.      \ve  simply   keep  trying  till 

Progressive     we  haPPen  to  hit  {t  riSht>  and  then  we 
Think'  imitate    our    successes    till    finally    the 

skill  is  acquired.  The  first  correct  re- 
sponse may  have  been  reflex,  instinctive  or  merely  ac- 
cidental. When,  however,  we  attempt  to  develop  acts 
of  skill  or  ideas  in  advance  of  our  fellowrs  this  simple 
method  of  trial  and  error  does  not  suffice.  It  is  of 
course  true  that  most  of  the  actions  of  all  of  us  and  all 
the  acts  of  many  of  us  are  not  progressive  in  the  sense 
here  intended.  By  progressive  thinking  we  mean  the 
conception  of  new  ideas,  the  invention  of  new  methods 
of  doing  work,  the  construction  of  a  new  policy  or  a 
new  instrument  or  something  of  a  kindred  nature. 
For  such  thinking  the  essential  mental  process  involves 
nothing  totally  different  from  ordinary  thinking,  but 
it  involves  the  ordinary  processes  in  a  more  complete 
and  efficient  form.  The  processes  referred  to  are  the 
following  four:  observation,  classification,  inference 
and  application-  The  laws  of  progressive  thinking  are 
derived  from  these  processes  and  are  nothing  more 
than  a  demand  for  the  complete  carrying  out  of  these 
four  processes.  The  thinking  of  the  advertiser  does 

147 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

not  differ  from  that  of  others ;  and  in  what  follows  the 
discussion  will  be  confined  to  the  advertiser  and  his 
problems,  inasmuch  as  such  a  concrete  problem  seems 
more  definite  than  a  general  discussion. 

Observation  is  logically  the  first  step.  All  adver- 
tisers have  eyes,  but  they  do  not  all  use  them  equally 

well.      Observation    should    begin    at 
Observation 

home.     The  advertiser  should  analyze 

his  own  response  to  advertisements,  but  unfortunately 
he  is  likely  to  become  so  prejudiced  or  hardened  to 
advertisements  that  his  own  judgment  must  be  taken 
with  great  caution.  How  does  this  advertisement  or 
this  part  of  the  advertisement  affect  me?  How  does 
it  affect  my  wife,  my  mother,  my  sister?  How  does 
it  affect  the  persons  who  ride  on  the  train  with  me  or 
who  pass  by  the  billboards  with  me?  This  is  the 
territory  which  is  so  near  at  home  that  we  disregard 
it.  Such  observations  must,  of  course,  be  supple- 
mented by  tests  carried  on  by  means  of  keying  the  ad- 
vertisement, by  consulting  the  sales  department,  etc. 

None  of  us  are  ideal  observers.  We  can't  tell  just 
how  certain  advertisements  affect  us  or  what  element 
of  the  advertisement  is  the  most  effective.  We  do  not 
observe  accurately  how  advertisements  affect  those 
about  us.  We  see  only  those  things  which  we  have 
learned  to  see  or  which  have  been  pointed  out  to  us. 
We  are  not  skillful  in  discovering  new  methods  of  se- 
curing new  data  and  so  our  observations  are  neither 
so  accurate  nor  so  extensive  as  they  should  be. 

The  advertiser  has  an  extensive  field  of  observation 
148 


LAWS     OF     PROGRESSIVE    THINKING 

and  but  little  direction  as  to  the  best  method.  He 
must  observe  his  goods  in  order  to  know  the  possible 
qualities  which  may  be  presented  with  greatest  force. 
He  must  observe  the  public  to  which  he  is  to  make  his 
appeal.  He  must  be  a  practical  psychologist.  He 
must  also  be  an  advertising  expert  according  to  the 
narrow  and  fallacious  use  of  that  term.  In  the  past 
the  advertiser  has  not  been  required  to  know  his  com- 
modity or  his  public,  but  he  has  felt  satisfied  if  he  was 
an  expert  in  the  construction  of  advertisements,  the 
choice  of  mediums,  the  keying  of  advertisements  and 
similar  strictly  technical  accomplishments.  The  ob- 
servations are  not  complete  unless  they  include  these 
three  fields,  i.  e.,  the  goods,  the  public  and  the  adver- 
tisements. 

The  second  step  in  the  method,  logically  speaking,  is 
that  of  classification.     The  observations  must  be  class- 
ified.    The    scattered    data    must    be 
Classification  , 

brought   together  before   they  can  be 

utilized.  Great  skill  is  necessary  to  make  the  right 
classifications.  In  any  large  office  care  must  be  used 
in  filing  away  material  to  see  that  the  general  heads 
are  not  only  correct  but  that  they  are  the  most  usable 
ones.  Likewise  in  filing  away  our  observations,  in 
getting  them  into  shape  so  that  we  can  use  them,  the 
greatest  care  is  necessary  in  choosing  the  right  hea<;ls 
and  in  getting  all  the  data  under  their^  appropriate 
general  heads.  All  the  data  must  be  analyzed  and 
classified  and  reclassified,  for  new  observations  require 
new  classifications,  so  that  the  classification  is  never 

149 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

complete  and  the  generalizations  based  on  the  classi- 
fications are  continually  increasing.  For  instance, 
every  advertiser  has  a  certain  amount  of  data  concern- 
ing the  effectiveness  of  advertisements  without  illus- 
trations in  publications  in  which  the  text  matter  is 
largely  illustrated.  But  how  many  advertisers  have 
grouped  this  data  and  formed  any  general  statement 
concerning  it? 

The  process  of  classification, involves  that  of  ana]^ 
sis,  and  the  difficulty  of  forming  new  analyses  is  much 
greater  than  would  be  supposed  by  those  who  have 
not  studied  the  process.  In  order  that  new  classifica- 
tions may  be  made  the  data  must  be  worked  over  and 
thought  of  in  all  the  possible  relations.  The  man  who 
makes  the  best  use  of  his  knowledge  is  the  one  who  has 
it  best  analyzed  and  classified. 

Advertisers  have  sent  me  two  different  advertise- 
ments which  were  carefully  keyed,  one  of  which  was 

successful  and  the  other  one  unsuc- 
Inference  .  , 

cessful.  In  some  cases  the  advertise- 
ments are  very  similar  and  the  differences  at  first  sight 
seem  non-essential,  yet  the  differences  are  great  enough 
to  secure  success  in  one  case  and  failure  in  another. 
Under  some  circumstances  it  might  be  practically  im- 
possible to  deduce  the  cause  of  the  differences.  Re- 
cently an  advertiser  sent  me  two  such  advertisements. 
One  had  been  unsuccessful  and  the  other  had  been 
extremely  successful.  The  illustrations  were  very 
similar  and  the  arguments  were  largely  identical 
throughout.  The  two  had  been%run  in  the  same  sizes 

150 


LAWS     OF     PROGRESSIVE     THINKING 

and  in  the  same  and  also  in  different  publications.  It 
seemed  quite  evident  that  the  difference  must  lie  in  the 
advertisements  themselves  and  not  in  any  extraneous 
matter. 

I  think  that  I  was  correct  in  inferring  that  the  dif- 
ference Jay  in  the  display  of  the  illustration  and  text 
matter,  but  not  in  the  quality  of  either  of  them.  In 
the  unsuccessful  advertisement  there  was  no  -resting- 
place  f or- the-eye -and  no  point  or  line  of  orientation. 
(The  line  of  orientation  is  the  line  which  the  eye  fol- 
lows in  observing  an  illustration.)  In  the  successful* 
advertisement  the  eye  rested  naturally  at  the  point  from 
which  the  advertisement  looked  the  most  artistic  and 
from  which  the  content  of  the  advertisement  could 
best  be  understood.  Furthermore,  the  line  of  orienta- 
tion was  such  that  the  eye  naturally  followed  the 
order  which  made  the  argument  and  display  mutually 
strengthening,  and  so  the  eye  rested,  at  the  conclu- 
sion, at  the  point  which  was  most  inducive  to  im- 
mediate action.  Any  trained  artist  or  even  any  one 
who  had  studied  the  theory  which  underlies  artistic 
productions,  might  very  naturally  have  looked  for  this 
resting  place  for  the  eye  or  for  the  appropriate  place 
for  the  line  of  orientation,  but  unless  these  features 
were  taken  into  consideration  the  wrong  conclusion 
would  have  been  drawn  as  to  the  cause  of  success  or 
failure  in  the  case  of  these  two  advertisements. 

The  fourth  step  in  the  mental  process  of  the  pro- 
gressive advertiser  is  that  of  applying  the  deduc- 
tions drawn  from  the  former  experience.  The  laws 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

concerning  the   force  called  electricity  are  known  to 

thousands,  but  it  takes  an  Edison  or  a 
Application     _..  ..      .         . 

Marconi  to  make  a  new  application  of 

these  same  laws.  If  Edison  and  Marconi  had  not  a 
comprehensive  grasp  of  these  laws  they  would  not  be 
inventors.  Others  have  as  good  a  knowledge  of  all 
the  phenomena  connected  with  electricity  as  they  and 
yet  are  unable  to  make  a  practical  use  of  their  knowl- 
edge. Science  can  formulate  the  laws  of  the  phe- 
nomena as  far  as  they  have  been  discovered  and  ap- 
plied, but  it  can  not  lay  down  rules  or  suggest  infal- 
lible methods  for  further  discoveries  and  inventions. 
This  does  not  minimize  the  value  of  science  but  it  em- 
phasizes the  need  of  originality  and  ingenuity  in  the 
man  who  strives  to  lead  his  profession  and  to  invent 
new  methods  and  to  make  new  applications  of  those 
he  has  learned. 

Certain  keen  students  of  advertising  have  prophesied 
but  little  benefit  to  advertising  from  the  science  of  psy- 
chology, because  a  science  can  not  lay  down  rules  for 
things  which  are  not  yet  discovered.  This  criticism 
has  weight  with  any  who  should  be  so  foolish  as  to 
suppose  that  every  accomplished  student  of  the  human 
mind  would  of  necessity  be  a  successful  advertiser.  To 
suppose  that  a  great  psychologist  would  of  necessity 
be  a  successful  innovator  in  advertising  is  just  as  sane 
as  to  suppose  that  every,  one  who  understands  electric- 
ity as  well  as  Edison  would  have  as  great  a  record  as 
he  at  the  patent  office.  If  Edison  had  known  nothing 
of  the  science  of  physics,  it  is  quite  certain  that  he 

152 


LAWS     OF     PROGRESSIVE     THINKING 

never  would  have  been  heard  from.  Science  does  not 
produce  inventors  but  it  is  of  great  assistance  to  a 
genius  and  may  cause  him  to  become  a  great  discov- 
erer. Psychology  is  of  assistance  to  every  advertiser 
in  helping  him  to  observe  widely  and  accurately,  in 
teaching  him  how  to  classify  or  group  his  observa- 
tions systematically :  it  should  help  him  in  drawing  the 
correct  conclusions  from  his  classified  experience.  If 
psychology  could  do  no  more  it  would  be  of  inesti- 
mable value,  but  as  applications  or  new  discoveries  de- 
pend so  largely  on  the  formation  of  correct  deductions 
and  hypotheses,  psychology  may  even  be  of  benefit  in 
this  last  and  most  difficult  step  in  the  mental  process 
of  the  innovator. 

The  most  successful  advertisers  are  those  who  ob- 
serve most  widely  and  accurately,  who  classify  their 
observations  and  group  them  in  the 
'  most  usable  form,  who  then  think  most 

Illustrated  keenly  about  these  classified  observa- 
tions so  as  to  draw  the  most  helpful 
conclusions,  and  lastly  who  .have  the  greatest  ability 
in  utilizing  these  deductions  in  their  advertising  cam- 
paigns. They  are  the  active  men,  those  who  are  seek- 
ing better  methods  of  observation  and  of  classification 
and  who  are  never  content  with  their  past  deductions 
or  their  applications.  To  show  what  I  mean  at  this 
point  I  will  illustrate  from  methods  employed  by  one 
of  the  leading  advertisers  of  America. 

In  observing  the  effect  which  advertisements  pro- 
duce upon  a  community  it  is  much  easier  to  learn  which 

153 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

advertisements  are  effective  than  what  it  is  in  the  par- 
ticular advertisements  which  makes  them  interesting. 
Mr.  B.,  as  an  aid  in  making  observations  at  this  latter 
point,  secured  several  thousands  of  letters  from  read- 
ers of  issues  of  the  magazine  of  which  he  was  the 
advertising  manager.  In  these  letters  the  writers  told 
which  advertisements  they  were  the  most  interested  in 
and  what  it  was  in  each  particular  advertisement  which 
interested  them.  Mr.  B.  could  have  turned  to  the 
pages  of  his  magazine  and  have  made  a  personal  ob- 
servation as  to  the  way  the  different  advertisements 
affected  him  and  what  it  was  in  any  particular  adver- 
tisement which  interested  him  most,  but  by  the  method 
described  he  multiplied  his  observations  a  thousand 
fold,  and  all  within  the  commodity  with  which  he  has 
to  deal.  When  he  had  read  over  the  letters  he  had 
the  data  before  him  but  it  was  in  chaotic  and  worthless 
condition.  The  next  step  was  to  bring  order  out  of 
chaos.  It  was  easy  to  tabulate  the  results  and  find 
out  how  many  were  especially  interested  in  each  par- 
ticular advertisement.  But  when  it  came  to  classify- 
ing the  reasons  —  and  often  women's  reasons  at  that  / 1 
—  for  being  interested  in  each  advertisement,  the  task 
proved  itself  to  be  one  of  great  difficulty. 

The  data  were  turned  over  to  me  for  such  classifica- 
tion, and  though  this  is  not  the  place  to  give  in  full  the 
general  heads  and  the  sub-heads  under  which  the 
classification  was  finally  made,  it  may  be  interesting 
to  know  that  the  reasons  for  advertisements'  proving 
interesting  were  in  the  order  of  their  frequency :  first. 


LAWS     OF     PROGRESSIVE     THIXKIXG 


reliability;  second,  ^r^qa1  r™c\r\mf^  •  thirfjj  the 
construction  of  the  advertisement;  and  fourth^  the 
present  need  of  the  reader.  Thus  of  the  letters  re- 
ceived one  month,  607  affirmed  that  they  were  most 
interested  in  their  chosen  advertisement  because  they 
believed  that  the  firm  or  the  medium  or  the  goods 
were  strictly  reliable.  In  some  cases  they  had  tried 
the  goods  advertised;  in  some  they  had  dealt  with  the 
firm  ;  in  some  they  noticed  the  testimonials  or  the  prizes 
taken,  etc.  In  the  same  month  508  were  particularly 
interested  because  of  money  considerations.  Some  be- 
cause they  could  get  the  goods  advertised  more  cheaply 
than  elsewhere;  some  because  the  advertisements  of- 
fered a  chance  to  get  something  for  service  instead  of 
for  cash,  etc.,  etc.  In  the  same  month  418  were  most 
interested  in  the  construction  of  the  advertisement. 
Some  were  most  interested,  for  instance,  in  the  Nestle's 
Food  advertisement,  because  it  was  very  artistic  and 
was  run  in  colors.  In  the  same  month  408  were  most 
interested  in  a  particular  advertisement  because  it  pre- 
sented goods  which  they  needed  at  that  particular  time. 
To  recapitulate  the  results  :  607  for  reliability,  508  for 
money  considerations,  418  for  the  construction  of  the 
advertisement,  and  408  because  of  the  present  need. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  say  that  from  the  classifica- 
tions of  these  data  certain  conclusions  have  been  drawn 
and  that  attempts  are  being  made  to  apply  the  conclu- 
sions to  the  planning  of  advertising  campaigns.  These 
experimental  applications  will  furnish  new  data;  these 
will  in  turn  be  classified,  new  conclusions  deduced  and 

155 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

further  attempts  at  practical  application  will  follow. 
In  this  way  we  have  an  endless  chain  of  observation, 
classification,  inference  and  application.  This  method" 
is  applicable  not  only  to  writing  advertisements  but  to 
every  detail  of  the  profession.  Indeed  it  is  the  method 
of  progressive  thinking  in  every  line  of  human  en- 
deavor. The  four  steps  are  not  fully  differentiated  in 
our  actual  experience  but  are  presented  here  as  dis- 
tinct for  the  sake  of  clearness. 


1*6 


XII 

ATTENTION  VALUE  OF  SMALL 
AND  OF  LARGE  SPACES 

THERE  are  certain  things  which  seem  to  force  them- 
selves upon  us   whether  we  will  or  not.     We  seem 

to  be  compelled  to  attend  to  them  by 
A  Funda- 

.  _.          some   mysterious   instinctive   tendency 
mental  Law  _.    J 

of  Attention  our  nervous  organization.  Thus 
moving  objects,  sudden  contrasts,  large 
objects,  etc.,  seem  to  catch  our  attention  with  irresist- 
ible force.  Again  there  are  certain  conditions  which 
favor  attention  and  others  which  hinder  it.  Among 
the  conditions  favoring  attention  the  following  is,  for 
the  advertiser,  of  special  significance.  The  power  of 
any  object  to  compel  attention  depends  upon  the  ab- 
sence of  counter  attraction.  In  another  discussion  of 
the  subject  of  Attention  appeared  the  following  para- 
graph (Theory  of  Advertising,  page  9)  :  "  Other 
things  being  equal,  the  probabilities  that  any  particular 
thing  will  catch  our  attention  are  in  proportion  to  the 
absence  of  competing  attractions.  This  may  be  dem- 
onstrated in  a  specific  case  as  follows:  I  had  a  card 
of  convenient  size  and  on  it  were  four  letters.  This 
card  was  exposed  to  view  for,  one  twenty-fifth  of  a 
second,  and  in  that  time  all  the  four  letters  were  read 
by  the  observers.  I  then  added  four  other  letters  and 
exposed  the  card  one  twenty-fifth  of  a  second  as  be- 
fore. The  observers  could  read  but  four  of  the  letters 

157 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

as  in  the  previous  trial  but  in  this  exposure  there  was 
no  certainty  that  any  particular  letter  would  be  read. 
I  then  added  four  more  letters  to  the  card  and  exposed 
the  letters  as  in  the  previous  trials.  The  observers 
were  still  able  to  read  but  four  letters.  That  is  to  say, 
up  to  a  certain  point  all  could  be  seen.  When  the 
number  of  objects  (i.  e.,  letters)  was  doubled,  the 
chances  that  any  particular  object  would  be  seen  was 
reduced  fifty  per  cent.  When  the  number  of  objects 
was  increased  threefold,  the  chances  of  any  particular 
object's  being  seen  were  reduced  to  thirty-three  per 
cent.  If, I  should  place  any  particular  four  letters  on 
the  right  and  also  the  same  letters  on  the  left  hand 
page  of  any  magazine  and  have  nothing  else  on  the 
page,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  letters  would  be  seen, 
with  more  or  less  attention,  in  one  or  both  cases  by 
every  one  who  turns  over  the  pages  of  the  magazine. 
This  follows  because  at  the  ordinary  reading  distance 
the  field  of  even  comparatively  distinct  vision  is  smaller 
than  a  single  page  of  ordinary  magazine  size,  and  as 
one  turns  the  pages  the  attention  is  ordinarily  not 
wider  than  the  page,  and  therefore  the  letters  have  no 
rivals  and  would  of  necessity  fill  or  occupy  the  atten- 
tion for  an  instant  of  time,  or  until  the  page  was  turned 
over.  If  one  hundred  of  these  letters  are  placed  on 
each  of  the  pages  the  chances  that  any  particular  letter 
will  be  seen  are  greatly  reduced.  This  seems  to  indi- 
cate that,  other  things  being  equal,  the  full-page  adver- 
tisement is  the  'sure-to-be-seen'  advertisement* and 

158 


ATTENTION     VALUE     OF     SPACES 

that  the  size  of  an  advertisement  determines  the  num- 
ber of  chances  it  has  of  being  seen." 

Even  a  casual  reader  of  advertisements  is  aware  of 
the  fact  that  full-page  advertisements  attract  his  atten- 
tion more  than  smaller  advertisements.  Every  adver- 
tiser knows  that  if  he  should  occupy  full  pages  he 
would  secure  more  attention  than  if  he  should  occupy 
quarter  pages,  yet  one  of  the  most  perplexing  questions 
which  any  advertiser  has  to  deal  with  is  the  adequate 
amount  of  space  for  any  particular  advertisement  or 
for  any  particular  advertising  campaign.  The  ques- 
tion is  not  as  to  the  superiority  of  full  pages  in  com- 
parison with  smaller  spaces.  All  feel  sure  that  any 
advertisement  would  be  more  valuable  if  it  occupied  a 
full  page  than  if  it  occupied  only  half  of  it.  But  the 
real  question  is  whether  it  is  twrice  as  valuable,  for  it 
costs  practically  twice  as  much.  A  quarter-page  an- 
nouncement is  valuable  but  a  half-page  is  worth  more 
-  is  it  worth  twice  as  much  ?  It  is  of  course  con- 
ceded that  some  advertisements  are  unprofitable  re- 
gardless of  the  space  occupied,  and  that  others  are 
profitable  when  filling  various  amounts  of  space.  It 
is  also  conceded  that  certain  advertisements  require  a 
large  space  and  that  others  are  profitable  as  an  inch 
advertisement  but  would  be  unprofitable  if  inflated  to 
occupy  a  full  page. 

There  are  exceptions  and  special  cases  but  the  ques- 
tion can  be  intelligently  stated  as  follow- s :  Of  all  the 
advertisements  being  run  in  current  advertising  which 

159 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

is  the  more  profitable,  in  proportion  to  the  space  occu- 
pied, the  large  or  the  small  advertisements?  Since 
profitableness  is  a  very  broad  term  and  depends  upon 
many  conditions,  we  will  for  the  present  confine  our- 
selves to  one  of  the  characteristics  of  a  profitable  ad- 
vertisement, i.  e.,  its  attention  value. 

The  quotation  presented  above  was  deduced  from  a 
theoretical  study  of  attention,  before  opportunity  had 

T  been  offered  to  verify  it  by  means  of 

An  Inves-  ,J      . 

tieation       experiments  with  advertisements.     To 

investigate  the  question  the  following 
tests  were  made :  I  handed  each  of  the  forty  students 
in  my  class  a  copy  of  the  current  issue  of  the  Century 
Magazine.  I  then  asked  them  to  take  the  magazines 
and  look  them  through,  just  as  they  ordinarily  do, 
but  not  to  read  any  poetry  or  long  articles.  Some  of 
them  put  in  all  their  time  reading  advertisements ;  some 
glanced  through  the  advertisements,  read  over  the  ta- 
ble of  contents  and  looked  over  the  reading  matter;  a 
few  failed  even  to  look  at  the  advertisements.  At  the 
end  of  ten  minutes,  I  surprised  them  by  asking  them  to 
lay  aside  the  magazines  and  write  down  all  they  could 
remember  about  each  of  the  advertisements  they  had 
seen.  I  sent  the  same  magazines  to  other  persons  in 
other  parts  of  the  country  and  had  them  use  the  maga- 
zines in  the  same  way  in  which  I  had  used  them.  In 
this  way  tests  were  made  with  over  five  hundred  per- 
sons mostly  between  the  ages  of  ten  and  thirty. 

These  results  were  carefully  tabulated  as  to  the  exact 
number  of  persons  who  mentioned  each  individual  ad- 

160 


ATTENTION     VALUE     OF     SPACES 

vertisement.  We  then  got  together  all  references  to 
each  particular  advertisement  and  so  could  compare  the 
different  advertisements,  not  only  as  to  the  fact  of 
bare  remembrance,  but  also  as  to  the  amount  of  infor- 
mation which  each  had  furnished,  the  desire  it  had 
created  to  secure  the  goods,  etc.  At  the  present  time 
we  shall  consider  all  advertisements  mainly  from  the 
standard  of  attracting  attention  sufficiently  to  be  re- 
called by  those  who  saw  them. 

Out  of  the  ninety-one  full-page  advertisements, 
sixty-four  of  them  are  advertisements  of  books  and 
periodicals,  \vhile  of  the  half-page,  quarter-page  and 
small  advertisements  there  is  a  total  of  about  five 
pages  devoted  to  books  and  periodicals.  To  compare 
the  full-page  advertisements  with  the  other  advertise- 
ments in  this  particular  magazine  would  be  to  compare 
advertisements  of  books  and  periodicals  with  adver- 
tisements of  other  classes  of  goods.  To  obviate  this 
difficulty,  we  shall  divide  all  advertisements  into  two 
classes:  (i)  Those  of  goods  other  than  books  and 
periodicals;  (2)  Those  of  books  and  periodicals. 

The  twenty-seven  full-page  advertisements  of  goods 
other  than  books  or  periodicals  were  remembered 
(mentioned  in  the  reports  of  the  five  hundred  persons 
tested)  530  times,  which  is  an  average  of  approxi- 
mately 20  for  each  advertisement.  The  sixty-four 
full-page  advertisements  of  books  and  periodicals  were 
remembered  606  times,  which  is  an  average  of  9  times 
for  each  advertisement. 

The  thirty-nine  half-page  advertisements  .of  goods 
161 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

other  than  books  or  periodicals  were  mentioned  358 
times,  which  is  an  average  of  9  times  for  each  adver- 
tisement. 

The  sixty-seven  quarter^page  advertisements,  other 
than  those  of  books  or  periodicals,  were  mentioned  223 
times,  which  is  an  average  of  3  for  each  advertisement. 
The  three  quarter-page  advertisements  of  books  and 
magazines  were  mentioned  only  twice  which  is  an  av- 
erage of  less  than  I  for  each  advertisement. 

As  less  than  a  single  quarter-page  of  small  adver- 
tisements was  of  books  and  periodicals,  it  is  useless  to 
consider  such  advertisements  separately.  There  are 
ninety-eight  small  advertisements,  and  these  were  men- 
tioned but  65  times  which  is  an  average  of  much  less 
than  i  for  each  advertisement. 

The  inefficiency  of  the  small  advertisement  is  made 
more  striking  when  we  consider  that  for  all  advertise- 
ments other  than  for  those  of  books  and  periodicals  a 
full  page  was  mentioned  approximately  20  times,  a 
half-page  9  times,  a  quarter-page  3  times,  and  a  small 
advertisement  less  than  a  single  time.  As  is  shown  in 
the  following  table  of  all  advertisements  other  than 
those  of  books  and  periodicals,  a  quarter-page  adver- 
tisement was  mentioned  30%  oftener  than  a  quarter 
page  of  small  advertisements;  a  half-page  advertise- 
ment was  mentioned  80%  oftener  than  a  half  page  of 
small  advertisements;  and  a  full-page  of  advertise- 
ments was  mentioned  90%  oftener  than  a  full  page  of 
small  advertisements. 

162 


ATTENTION     VALUE     OF     SPACES 


The  tabulated  results  for  all  advertisements  other 
than  of  books  and  periodicals  are  as  follows : 


l> 

| 

Size  of  Advertisement.*^" 

I 

-t 

V 

. 

— 

i^ 

eg 

- 

3 

X 

3 

= 

C^J 

Number  of  advertisements 

27 

T.Q 

67 

08 

Pages  occupied 

27 

m 

l6  r 

6 

Total   number  out  of   500  persons  who 
mentioned  them...         

C-JQ 

3c8 

223 

Average   number  of   mentions   for  each 

advertisement 

TO1  " 

o  ' 

85 

Average  number  of  mentions  for  each 

98 

pasre  occupied 

IO-" 

18-* 

I  ^ 

JO 

V27 

39 

AX'hen  we  consider  the  advertisements  for  books  and 
periodicals,  the  differences  are  enormous.  A  half- 
page  advertisement  was  noticed  50%  oftener  than  two 
quarter-page  advertisements,  and  a  full-page  adver- 
tisement was  mentioned  250%  oftener  than  four  quar- 
ter-page advertisements. 

The  tabulated  results  for  advertisements  of  books 
and  periodicals  are  as  follows : 


<u 

^0 

1 

Size  of  Advertisement.*®" 

?• 

rt 
CU 

t 

-' 

3 

R] 

§ 

p 

fe 

K 

O^ 

w 

Number  of  advertisements 

6l 

8 

-I 

y—  to  i 

Pages  occupied     .... 

6l 

4. 

3 

^=cl 

Total  number  out  of  500   persons   who 
mentioned  them. 

606 

16 

2 

«li| 

Average    number  of  mentions  for  each 

i  «.-« 

advertisement  

Ql5 

2 

1 

—  ?•*-  w 

Average   number  of  mentions   for  each 

32 

3 

•  *j«»g  y 

page  occupied 

jvto 

-72 

<y  ct  ^^-—  — 

^3 

crcs'B.H 

163 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

An  advertisement  was  regarded  as  "  remembered  " 
if  it  was  mentioned  at  all.     In  some  instances  the  illus- 

tration alone  was  remembered  and  the 
Numerical  ...  ,  , 

„      person  mentioning  it  was  unable  to  tell 

o  fc  -     4.1       what  advertisement  the  illustration  was 
bumciently 

Explicit        used    with.      In   a    few   instances   the 

illustration  of  one  brand  of  goods  was 

interpreted    as    an    advertisement    of    the    competing 


wvcxxji- 


.  —  This   report  indicates  the  educational  value 
of  this  advertisement. 

brand.  On  the  other  hand  the  results  were  frequently 
astounding  in  their  revelation  of  the  effectiveness  of 
the  advertisements  in  imparting  the  essential  informa- 
tion and  creating  a  desire  for  the  goods.  The  above 
cut  (No.  i),  is  a  reproduction  of  the  report  of  one  of 
the  pupils  in  Minneapolis,  made  after  she  had  looked 
through  the  magazine  for  ten  minutes  without  the 

164 


ATTENTION     VALUE     OF     SPACES 


knowledge  that  she  would  be  called  upon  to  report  on 
what  she  had  read.  The  advertisement  described  by 
this  pupil  was  mentioned  more  than  any  other  and  is 
reproduced  herewith  as  No.  2. 


iTER    CHAPS 


Chapped  and  irritated  skin  quickly  relieved 

by  the  c/eun<;ingr  soothing  and 

healing  influence  of 

Packer's  Tar  Soap 


No.    2. —  A   full   page   advertisement   pos- 
sessing great  attention  value. 


Soon    after    the    completion    of    the    investigation 
described  above  a  supplementary  investigation  was  de- 
vised  to   see   whether    similar   results 
An  Investi-  111  1    r  j- 

TTT-  T-    would   be   secured    from    a   more   di- 
gation  With  . 

T?-t4.     A  ^  I*     versified    list    of    advertisements    and 
ritty  Adults 

from  the  class  of  persons  for  whom  the 

advertisements  were  especially  written.     We  took  the 

165 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

binding  wires  out  of  a  large  number  of  magazines  and 
thus  were  able  to  make  a  collection  of  advertising 
pages  without  tearing  the  margins  of  the  leaves.  We 
made  use  of  magazines  of  different  years  and  of  dif- 
ferent kinds,  but  all  used  were  of  uniform  magazine 
size.  From  these  leaves  we  chose  one  hundred  pages 
of  advertisements,  being  careful  to  choose  as  many 
different  styles  of  advertisements  as  possible.  We  had 
in  these  pages  advertisements  of  almost  everything 
which  has  been  advertised  in  magazines  of  recent 
years.  We  had  all  the  different  styles  of  display,  of 
type  and  illustration,  of  colored  cuts  and  tinted  paper, 
etc.  We  had  these  hundred  pages  bound  up  with  the 
body  of  a  current  magazine,  and  the  whole  thing 
looked  like  any  ordinary  magazine.  Indeed,  no  one 
suspected  that  it  was  "  made  up  "  as  he  looked  at  it. 

This  specially  prepared  magazine  was  handed  to 
fifty  adults.  A  large  part  of  them  were  heads  of  fam- 
ilies, readers  of  magazines,  and  purchasers  of  the  goods 
advertised.  Thirty-three  of  them  were  women  and 
seventeen  men.  Some  of  them  lived  in  a  city  and 
some  in  a  country  town.  As  we  had  tried  to  choose 
all  the  different  kinds  of  advertisements  possible,  so 
we  tried  to  get  all  kinds  and  conditions  of  people  for 
subjects.  With  three  exceptions,  the  subjects  knew 
nothing  of  the  nature  of  the  experiment.  Some  of 
them  knew  that  it  was  for  experimental  purposes,  but 
some  of  them  merely  took  the  magazine  and  looked  it 
through,  supposing  that  it  was  the  latest  magazine. 
Each  one  was  requested  to  look  through  the  magazine 

1 66 


ATTEXTIOX     VALUE     OF     SPACES 

and.  in  every  case  tabulated,  all  the  hundred  pages  of 
advertisements  were  turned.  Some  of  the  subjects 
turned  the  pages  rapidly  and  got  through  in  three  min- 
utes, others  were  thirty  minutes  in  getting  through. 
The  average  time  for  the  fifty  subjects  was  a  little  over 
ten  minutes. 

As  soon  as  each  subject  had  completely  looked 
through  the  magazine  it  was  taken  away  from  him  and 
he  was  asked  to  "  mention  "  all  the'  advertisements 
which  he  had  seen,  and  to  tell  all  about  each  of  them. 
\Yhat  he  said  was  written  down,  and  then  the  subject 
was  given  the  magazine  again  and  asked  to  look  it 
through  and  indicate  each  advertisement  which  he  rec- 
ognized as  one  which  he  had  seen  but  had  forgotten  to 
mention. 

There  was  very  great  diversity  in  individuals  in 
their  ability  to  mention  the  advertisements  which  they 
had  just  seen.  Some  of  them  mentioned  as  high  as 
thirty  different  advertisements;  one  man  was  unable 
to  mention  a  single  advertisement  which  he  had  seen, 
although  all  the  one  hundred  pages  of  advertisements 
had  been  before  his  eyes  but  a  moment  before. 

There  was  also  great  diversity  in  subjects  in  their 
ability    to    recognize    the    advertisements    when    they 
looked  through  the  magazine  the  sec- 
Diversity      onc[  time.     Some  of  them  recognized 
Observers      as  m'§"h  as  one  hundred  advertisements 
when  looking  through  the  second  time 
and  were  surprised  that  they  had  forgotten  to  mention 
them.     Others,   in  looking  through  the  second  time, 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

were  surprised  to  see  how  unfamiliar  the  magazine 
looked.  One  subject,  who  mentioned  but  three  adver- 
tisements, could  recognize  only  three  others.  He  had 
no  recollection  of  having  seen  any  of  the  others.  This 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  certain  persons  may  turn 
over  the  advertising  pages  of  a  magazine  and  yet 
hardly  see  the  advertisements  at  all. 

As  in  the  previous  investigations,  we  divided  all 
advertisements  into  two  classes:  (i)  advertisements 
of  goods  other  than  books  and  periodicals  and  called, 
therefore,  miscellaneous  advertisements;  (2)  adver- 
tisements of  books  and  periodicals. 

The  forty-three  pages  of  full-page  miscellaneous 
advertisements  were  mentioned  281  times  and  recog- 
nized 544  times.  That  is,  each  of  these  advertise- 
ments was  mentioned  on  an  average  of  6  23/43  times 
and  recognized  on  an  average  of  i228/43  times  in 
addition. 

The  thirty-one  full-page  advertisements  of  books 
and  periodicals  were  mentioned  85  times  by  the  fifty 
subjects,  which  is  an  average  of  2  23/31  times  for 
each  advertisement.  The  thirty-one  full-pages  were 
recognized  (upon  looking  through  the  magazine  a 
second  time)  276  times  by  the  fifty  subjects,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  "  mentions."  Each  of  these  advertisements 
was  thus  recognized  on  an  average  almost  9  times. 

The  fifteen  half-page  advertisements  of  miscellane- 
ous advertisements  were  mentioned  41  times,  which  is 
an  average  of  2  11/i5  times  for  each.  The  fifteen  ad- 
vertisements were  recognized  118  times  in  addition, 

168 


ATTENTION     VALUE     OF     SPACES 

which  is  an  average  of  7  13/15  times  for  each  one. 

There  are  but  four  half-page  advertisements  of 
books  and  periodicals,  and  only  one  of  them  was  men- 
tioned by  any  of  the  fifty,  and  that  but  once.  That 
gives  an  average  of  J4  mention  for  each  advertisement. 
They  were  recognized  by  24,  which  is  an  average  of  6 
for  each  advertisement. 

The  thirty-six  quarter-page  miscellaneous  advertise- 
ments were  mentioned  39  times,  which  is  an  average 
of  i  Vi2  times  for  each  advertisement.  They  were 
recognized  122  times,  which  is  an  average  of  3  Vis 
times  for  each.  There  are  six  quarter-page  adver- 
tisements of  books  and  periodicals.  These  six  were 
mentioned  only  3  times,  which  is  an  average  of  J/2 
for  each  advertisement. 

The  ninety-three  small  miscellaneous  advertisements 
were  mentioned  14  times,  which  makes  an  average  of 
14/93-  They  were  recognized  34  times,  which  is  an 
average  of  34/93  f°r  eacn  advertisement.  Of  the 
small  advertisements  only  seven  were  of  books  and 
periodicals;  these  seven  were  mentioned  once,  which 
is  an  average  of  1/7  for  each.  The  seven  were  rec- 
ognized only  twice,  or  on  the  average  of  2/~. 

The  following  tabulations  will  make  clear  the  re- 
sults secured  from  fifty  adults: 


169 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 


Tabulated   results   for   all   miscellaneous   advertise 
ments  secured  from  fifty  adults  as  follows : 


Size  of  Advertisement.  £^" 

& 
et 

Ou 

"3 
to 

'6 
bC 

"3 
W 

. 

OJ 
IX) 

& 

|H 

£ 

t^ 

rs 

3 

o< 

"re 

£ 

C^i 

Number  of  Advertisements  

47 

JC 

•^6 

QJ 

Pages  occupied 

J7 

71 

51 

Total  number  of  mentions 

?R? 

41 

-}Q 

•> 

Average   number  of  mentions   for  each 
advertisement 

6|3 

2li 

I      'TS 

1    1 

Average  number  of  mentions   for  each 
page  occupied  

'-'O 

6|  3 

5  17- 

41 

53 
•7  fi 

Total  (additional)  number  of  recognitions 
Average  number  of  recognitions  for  each 
advertisement  .    .         ... 

544 

1  2  1-1 

118 

Til 

122 

^TT5 

34 

34 

Average  number  of  recognitions  for  each 
page  occupied  .       

I2|| 

It  U 

nl 

6r2T 

Tabulated   results   for  all  advertisements  of  books 
and  periodicals  secured  from  fifty  adults  as  follows : 


<u 

& 

1 

Size  of  Advertisements.  *^ 

be 

a 

be  - 
ed 

a. 

il 

<U 

a 

*S 

cd 

g 

to 

X 

C^ 

M 

Number  of  Advertisements. 

•31 

4 

6 

7 

Pages  occupied           .    . 

J 

31 

T" 

2 

il 

/ 

Total  number  who  mentioned  them  

85 

1  2 

3. 

I 

Average  number  of  mentions   for  each 

advertisement 

22iL 

i 

1 

i 

Average  number  of  mentions  for  each 

31 

4 

2 

page  occupied 

2  23 

] 

2 

I 

Total  (additional)  number  of  recognitions 

2763r 

2 
24 

II 

2 

Average  number  of  recognitions  for  each 

advertisement                       

82  ** 

6 

I  '** 

1 

Average  number  of  recognitions  for  each 

" 

page  occupied  .         

8|? 

12 

7l 

< 

31 

/  3 

ATTENTION     VALUE     OF     SPACES 

As  is  shown  by  the  foregoing,  for  all  kinds  of  ad- 
vertisements, with  but  one  exception,  a  full-page  ad- 
vertisement was  mentioned  oftener  than  two  half-page 
advertisements;  two  half-page  advertisements  were 
mentioned  oftener  than  four  quarter-page  advertise- 
ments, and  four  quarter-page  advertisements  were 
mentioned  oftener  than  a  full  page  of  small  advertise- 
ments. The  exception  referred  to  is  the  half-page 
advertisements  of  books  which  fell  belowT  all  other- 
sized  advertisements,  but  as  the  number  of  "  recog- 
nized "  is  very  large,  the  apparent  exception  should 
not  be  emphasized. 

Although  an  advertisement  had  not  impressed  the 
reader  sufficiently  to  enable  him  to  mention  it  after  he 

had  closed  the  magazine,  yet  it  may 
Viewing  the    ,  .  . 

A  ,      _    .        have  made  such  an  impression  on  him 
Ads.  Twice 

that   he  could   recall   it   if   a  need   or 

something  else  should  arise  to  suggest  it  to  his  mind. 
Thus,  to  find  out  how  many  of  the  advertisements  had 
made  any  appreciable  impression,  we  had  each  subject 
see  how  many  of  the  advertisements  in  the  magazine 
he  could  recognize  a  few  minutes  after  he  had  looked 
through  it  for  the  first  time.  The  results  given  above 
indicate  that  a  quarter-page  advertisement  was  rec- 
ognized oftener  than  a  quarter  page  of  small  adver- 
tisements; that  a  half-page  advertisement  was  recog- 
nized oftener  than  two  quarter-page  advertisements; 
but  that  the  full-page  advertisements  in  three  instances 
were  recognized  less  often  proportionately  than  smaller 
advertisements,  i.  e.,  half-page  and  quarter-page  mis- 

171 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

cellaneous    advertisements    and    half-page    advertise- 
ments of  books  and  periodicals. 

These  three  exceptional  instances  are  of  no  signi- 
ficance inasmuch  as  the  full-page  advertisements  had 
been  previously  mentioned  and  therefore  had  been  ex- 
cluded from  those  that  could  be  merely  recognized. 

The  report  given  by  each  subject  was  carefully  an- 
alyzed to  see  how  many  times  each  advertisement  im- 
pressed a  subject  sufficiently  so  that  he  would  know  at 
least  what  general  class  of  goods  the  advertisement 
represented.  Upon  comparing  the  reports  upon  the 
different  advertisements  at  this  point,  it  was  found 
that  the  subject  knew  what  class  of  goods  the  full- 
page  advertisement  represented  much  better  than  what 
the  half-page  represented;  that  the  half-page  was  bet- 
ter than  the  quarter-page,  and  that  the  quarter-page 
was  better  than  the  small  advertisement. 

Results  were  then  compiled  as  to  the  comparative 
values  of  the  different-sized  advertisements  in  impress- 
ing upon  the   subjects   the   individual 
Relative          '  ,   , 

T_  ,  brand  or  name  of  the  goods  advertised. 

Values 

Shown  was  *ounc*  *"at  tnis  information  was 

imparted  much  better  by  the  larger  ad- 
vertisements. In  a  similar  way,  results  were  compiled 
as  to  the  name  and  address  of  the  firm,  the  price  of 
the  goods  offered  and  the  line  of  argument  presented 
by  the  advertiser.  In  all  of  these  cases  it  was  found 
that  the  full-page  advertisement  was  more  than  twice) 
as  effective  as  a  half-page  advertisement;  a  half-page 
was  more  than  twice  as  effective  as  a  quarter-page, 

172 


ATTENTION     VALUE     OF     SPACES 


and  a  quarter-page  was  more  effective  than  a  quarter 
page  of  small  advertisements. 

The  full-page  advertisements  which  were  mentioned 
by  the  greatest  number  of  subjects  were  Ivory  Soap 


iish  of  cold 

:;T?     The  nerves  are  braced,   the   muscles  ire 
m  or  woman  is  better  » r'.e  to  resist  disease 
'and  the  wearing  effects  of  mental  strain. 

if  the  Iverv  Soap  is  oat  poshiveiy  essential.   : 
.'cariing.  and  the  beneficial  effect  c:  i 
tly  used,  can  hardly  bti 


Ko.  3. —  Tnis  full  page  advertisement 
attracts  attention.  Does  it  sell 
soap? 


(mentioned  24  times  and  reproduced  herewith  as  Xo. 
3),  In-er-Seal  (mentioned  23  times)  and  Pears'  Soap 
(mentioned  20  times,  reproduced  herewith  as  No.  4). 
Of  the  24  persons  who  mentioned  Ivory  Soap  (No.  3) 
but  sixteen  knew  that  it  was  an  advertisement  of  soap 
at  all,  and  only  fourteen  knew  that  it  was  an  adver- 

173 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 


tisement  of  Ivory  Soap.  Of  the  twenty-three  persons 
who  mentioned  In-er-Seal,  only  sixteen  knew  that  it 
referred  to  biscuits,  while  but  nine  knew  that  it  was 
an  advertisement  of  In-er-Seal  goods.  The  advertise- 
ment in  question  is  the  familiar  one  of  a  boy  in  a  rain- 
coat putting  packages  of  In-er-Seal  in  a  cupboard.  Of 


^ 


No.    4. —  Full   page    reproduction    effective 
as  mere   display  advertising. 


the  twenty  persons  who  mentioned  Pears'  Soap  (No. 
4),  every  one  of  them  knew  that  it  \vas  an  advertise- 
ment of  Pears'  Soap.  Only  five  of  the  full-page  ad- 
vertisements were  mentioned  by  none  of  the  fifty  sub- 

174 


ATTENTION     VALUE     OF     SPACES 

jects.  These  five  were  of  the  New  York  Central  Rail- 
road (Xo.  5),  Egyptian  Deities  Cigarettes,  \Yaltham 
Watches  (No.  6),  Equitable  Life  Insurance  Company 
and  the  Lvman  D.  Morse  Advertising  Agency.  There 


The  New  York  Onir.il  doe*  not  claim  to  be  the  only  rad- 
road  m  the  world  —  iherp  jte  oihc-rv.  n  is.  however. 
ihe  great  Four-track  Trunk  Ime  of  the  United  Slates.  .nd 
has  ejrned  the  title  given  n  by  press  jnd  people  on  both 
sides  of  ihe  Atlantic,  of  -America's  Greatest  Railroad." 

Yfk  Cnl'iUfi  *flr*  •!!  'rc~*l  /•*  /•*!  timr  fflng  rmmt  '/ 


The  New  York  Centr.il  operates  'he  fastest  .md  most 
perte.l  through  tr.nn  service  in  the  world,  reaching  by  its 
through  cars  the  most  importint  commercial  centres  o( 
the  U-^itrJ  Sutes  and  Can.idj.  .ind  the  greatest  of 
America  s  health  and  pleasure  resorts- 


. 
,*,/•**,!    m*a  frrt-14,  it       7   t  lnt 

*~*  -  Fro.  a.  EAion*!  u.  <to  NEW  VoRIC 

The  New  York  Centr.il  is  the  dirert  Line  between  the 
American  metropolis  and  Ni.igjo  F.ills.  by  w.iv  o(  the 
historic  Hudson  River  and  through  the  beautiful  Mohav/k 

/  ,ifH  T  frrr  -!mf*fa,J  ovtr  »fj~f  rfr  .<M«*t  V*lt,f. 
~,r<  ,*  ,,t,,r,.  ~v  r*~-f  tl*r  /  ,«-,  ,/,*e  llki  t.~ 
rf  trk**tt.'<i  ,:  /frf^f*."—  Litract  fraoi  jcnnoa  oi_Rcv. 
i-Dr.  T.  O.WU.  T^uce.  o.  -  Ihe  FJMW  Tram  «>c  .WartC' 

The  New  "Yo>"k  Centr.il's  metropolitan  terminus  is  3t 
Grand  Central  Station.  Fourth  Avenue  and  Forty-second 
Street,  in  the  very  centre  of  the  hoteL  residence,  and 
theatre  seclion.  this  being  the  only  Trunk  Line  whose 
trains  enter  the  Oty  of  New  York. 


"The  entire  Main  Line  of  the  New  York  Centr.n,  between 
New  York  and.Bufklo  and  Niagara  Falls,  is  protecled  by 
the  most  perfe4_system  of  block,  signals  in  the  world." 

}.  P.  O'SScU.  tkc  wdTfc 


No.    5. —  Weak  attention   value  in  any  size. 

were  very  many  half-page,  quarter-page  and  small  ad- 
vertisements which  were  mentioned  and  recognized  by 
none  of  the  fifty  persons  tested. 

The  results  indicated  a  very  great  difference  between 

175 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

individual  advertisements  which  filled  the  same  space. 

Quality  is  more  important  than  quan- 
Quality  First;  n  ,      . 

f~.     \i  tity.     Certain  styles  of  advertisements 

Size  Next 

(depending  upon  the  goods  advertised 

as  well  as  on  other  things)  are  effective  in  any  space, 

Nobody  wants  a  poor  watch. 
We  all  want  a  good  one.     The 
American  Waltham  Watch  Company 
has  made  it  possible  for  every- 
body to  own  a  perfect  watch  at 
a  moderate  price.     No  one  need 
go  to  Europe   for  a  watch 
nowadays.     The  best  are  made 
in  Waltham,  Mass.,  right  here 
in  America.     The  Company 
particularly  recommends  the 
movements  engraved  with  the 
trade-mark  "Riverside"  or 
"Royal"  (made  in  various  sizes), 
which  cost  about  one-third  as 
much  as  foreign  movements  of 
the  same  quality.    All  retail  jew- 
elers have  them  or  can  get  them. 
Do  not  be  misled  or  persuaded 
into  paying  a  larger  price  for  a 
watch  no  better  and  probably  not 
so  good  as  a  Waltham. 

No.   6. —  An  advertisement  possessing  but  little  attention  value. 

and  others  are  comparatively  worthless,  even  if  filling 
a  full  page.  An  advertisef  should  certainly  give  more 
heed  to  the  quality  of  his  advertisement  than  to  its 
size,  yet  the  size  is  an  important  element. 


ATTENTION     VALUE     OF     SPACES 

In  the  case  of  these  one  hundred  pages  of  typical 
advertisements,  the  size  of  the  advertisements  affected 
their  value  materially.  In  the  number  of  times  the 
advertisement  was  mentioned  from  memory,  in  the 
number  of  times  it  was  recognized  when  the  maga- 
zine wras  looked  at  for  the  second  time,  and  in  the  num- 
ber of  times  that  the  advertisement  conveyed  definite 
information  as  to  the  general  class  of  goods  adver- 
tised, the  specific  name  or  brand  of  the  goods,  the  name 
of  the  firm,  the  address  of  the  firm,  the  price  of  the 
goods  and  the  argument  presented  in  favor  of  the 
goods  —  in  all  of  these  points  (disregarding  the  ex- 
ception mentioned  above)  the  full-page  advertisement 
was  more  than  twice  as  effective  as  the  half-page;  the 
half-page  was  more  than  twice  as  effective  as  the  quar- 
ter-page; the  quarter-page  was  more  effective  than  a 
quarter  page  of  small  advertisements.  In  other 
words,  at  all  points  considered  in  the  two  investiga- 
tions described  above,  the  value  of  an  advertisement 
increases  as  the  size.,  of.  the  advertisement  increases, 
and  the  increase  of.,  value-is  greater  thaa.lhe,  increase 
in  the  amount  of  space  filled*  j\ 


177 


XIII 

THE  MORTALITY  RATE  OF  ADVER- 
TISERS 

IN  the  preceding  chapter  it  was  shown  that  the 
larger  advertisements  attract  the  attention  much  more 
than  the  smaller  ones.  The  larger  ones  also  offer 
more  opportunity  for  relevant  text  and  appropriate 
illustrations.  The  larger  advertisements  are  best  for 
imparting  the  desired  information  and  for  making  a 
lasting  impression  on  the  possible  customers.  Many 
business  men,  however,  believe  that  the  small  adver- 
tisement is  safer  than  the  larger  one  and  that  the 
larger  spaces  are  luxuries  reserved  for  those  who  are 
able  to  incur  losses  without  serious  consequences. 

If  the  users  of  large  spaces  are  reckless  and  the 
users  of  small  spaces  cautious  and  conservative,  we 
should  naturally  suppose  that  the  more  conservative 
firms  would  be  the  ones  which  would  stay  in  business 
longest  and  which  might  be  looked  for  in  each  suc- 
cessive year  in  the  advertising  pages  of  certain  maga- 
zines. There  is  a  tradition  that  the  users  of  advertis- 
ing space  are,  as  a  whole,  rather  ephemeral,  that  they 
are  in  the  magazines  to-day  and  to-morrow  have 
ceased  to  exist.  There  are,  on  the  other  hand,  per- 
sons with  perfect  faith  in  advertising  who  believe 
that  all  a  firm  has  to  do  is  to  advertise  and  its  suc- 
cess is  assured. 

This  chapter  presents  the  results  of  extensive  inves- 
tigations carried  on  to  ascertain  more  definitely  the 


MORTALITY  RATE  OF  ADVERTISERS 

stability  of  advertisers  and  to  discover  which  sizes  of 
advertisements  seem  to  be  the  safest  and  most  profit- 
able. 

Data  were  secured  from  all  firms  located  west  of 
Buffalo  and  advertising  in  the  Ladies'  Home  Journal 

for  a  period  of  eight  years.     All  firms 
The  Ladies'  ,  .  .    u    , 

were  grouped  together  which  had  ap- 
Home  .    .       ,  .  i  .. 

,          ,        peared   in   this   magazine   but   one   ot 

these  years,  all  which  had  appeared 
two  of  the  years,  all  which  had  appeared  three  of 
the  years,  etc.,  up  to  and  including  all  of  the  firms 
which  had  appeared  the  eight  years  under  considera- 
tion. After  a  careful  analysis  had  been  made  the 
following  significant  results  were  secured : 


Number  of  Years  the  Firms  Average  Number  of  Lines 

Continued  to  Advertise.  Used  Annually  by  Each  Firm 


1  year  56  lines 

2  years  116  lines 

3  years  168  lines 

4  years  194  lines 

5  years  192  lines 

6  years  262  lines 

7  years  218  lines 

8  years  600  lines 


This  would  seem  to  indicate  that  in  general  if  a 
firm  uses  56  lines  annually  in  the  Ladies'  Home  Jour- 
nal the  results  will  be  so  unsatisfactory  that  it  will  not 
try  it  again.  If  it  uses  116  lines  annually  it  will  be 
encouraged  to  attempt  it  the  second  year,  but  will 
then  drop  out.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  it  uses  600  lines 
annually  the  results  will  be  so  satisfactory  that  it  will 

179 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

continue  to  use  the  same  magazine  indefinitely.  (A 
very  large  number  of  the  firms  who  continued  in  eight 
years  continued  in  for  a  longer  time.) 

There  were  but  1,247  n*rms  included  in  the  data 
presented  above.  Other  data  were  secured  from  the 
entire  number  of  firms  advertising  in  the  Ladies'  Home 
Journal,  the  Delineator,  Harper's,  and  Scribner's  for 
certain  periods,  but  inasmuch  as  the  data  from  all 
these  merely  confirm  those  presented  above  they  are 
not  added  here. 

Advertisers  are  in  general  wise  business  men  and 
are  usually  able  to  tell  whether  their  advertising  pays 

or  not.     If  it  pays,  they  continue  it; 
Successful     .f  it  does  not  th      cease  to  adver_ 

Advertising  „  '      .      £ 

^,      TV         *lse-     Every  one  can  think  of  an  occa- 

,  sional  exception,  but  in  general  the 
statement  is  correct.  That  class  of 
advertising  which  is  the  most  successful  is  the  class 
most  likely  to  be  continued.  That  class  which  is  the 
least  successful  is  the  least  likely  to  be  continued.  The 
survival  of  the  fittest  is  as  true  in  advertising  as  it  is  in 
organic  nature.  If  large  spaces  are  more  valuable  in 
proportion  to  their  size  than  small  spaces,  we  should 
expect  to  find  the  larger  spaces  surviving.  If  the 
smaller  spaces  are  more  valuable  in  proportion  to  their 
size  we  should  expect  to  find  the  small  spaces  surviv- 
ing. 

What  has  been  the  experience  of  advertisers  —  es- 
pecially of  magazine  advertisers  —  on  this  point?  It 
is  a  debated  question  whether  there  is  a  growing 

1 80 


MORTALITY  RATE  OF  ADVERTISERS 

tendency  toward  larger  or  smaller  advertisements.  In 
articles  in  magazines  for  business  men  the  statement  is 
often  made  that  we  are  finding  it  unnecessary  to  use 
large  spaces,  but  that  small  spaces  well  filled  are  the 
more  profitable. 

To  find  out  definitely  what  the  tendency  is  in  regard 
to  the  use  of  space,  several  investigations  have  been 

carried  on.     We  shall,  however,  con- 
Results  of     r       ,,      ,.          .  ,, 

fine  the  discussion  to  the  question  as  it 
Extensive  ...         ...  _ , " 

T  ,.  ..  manifests  itself  m  the  Century  Masra- 
Investigations  .  J 

zine.      We   have   chosen   the   Century 

because  it  is  one  of  the  best  advertising  mediums,  be- 
cause it  has  had  one  of  the  most  consistent  histories 
and  because  all  the  files  have  been  made  available  from 
the  first  issue  of  the  magazine.  We  have  conducted 
similar  investigations,  but  in  a  less  thorough  manner, 
with  several  of  the  leading  advertising  mediums  in 
America.  In  each  one  of  these  investigations  we  have 
secured  results  similar  to  those  presented  below  from 
the  Century.  The  following  data,  therefore,  show  a 
general  tendency;  so  the  data  and  discussion  are  not 
to  be  interpreted  as  having  any  special  reference  to  the 
Century  Magazine.  In  preparing  the  tabulation, 
school  announcements  and  announcements  made  by 
the  publishers  of  the  magazine  were  disregarded. 

In  the  following  table  the  first  column  indicates  the 
year,  the  second  column  the  total  number  of  pages 
devoted  to  commercial  advertising  during  that  year 
in  the  Century  Magazine,  the  third  column  the  total 
number  of  firms  advertising  in  the  magazine  that  year. 

181 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

the  fourth  the  average  number  of  lines  used  by  each 
firm  during  the  year,  the  fifth  the  average  number  of 
lines  in  each  advertisement  appearing  in  the  magazine 
for  that  year,  the  sixth  the  average  number  of  times 
each  firm  advertised  in  the  Century  for  that  year. 

Several  things  in  this  tabulation  are  worthy  of  care- 
ful  consideration.     The   total   number   of   pages   de- 
voted to  advertising  has  been  increas- 
Increased      .  .  n        .,.  , 

ing   very    rapidly   till   now    there    are 

~  *  over  one   thousand   pages   devoted   to 

Devoted  to  .  . 

Advertising-  advertismg  annually  as  compared  with 
two  hundred  pages  which  was  the  ap- 
proximate amount  during  the  first  ten  years  of  the 
existence  of  the  magazine.  With  the  exception  of  the 
years  of  financial  distress  in  the  nineties  almost  every 
year  has  shown  an  increase  over  the  preceding  year. 
The  growth  has  been  so  constant  and  has  been  sus- 
tained for  so  many  years  that  it  would  seem  to  be 
nothing  more  than  a  normal  growth.  The  increase  is 
seen  to  be  greatest  in  the  years  of  prosperity,  while 
during  the  years  of  depression  there  is  usually  a  de- 
crease. 

The  second  point  to  be  considered,  in  the  tabulation 

is  the  number  of  firms  which  advertised  in  the  maga- 

zine  in  the  years  from  1870  to   1907. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  during  the  first 
Advertisers 

Decreasing;     ten  ^ears  there  were  about  two  hun- 
dred firms  advertising.     From  1880  to 
1890  the  increase  was  extremely  rapid.     In  1880  there 
were  but  293  firms,   while   in   1890  there  were  910 

182 


MORTALITY    RATE    OF    ADVERTISERS 


Date. 

l!fH 

-  -  -  -.  ~  •- 

X     OB 

~  ?  •=  u.  ±  •  v 

%  ^-  Sf-Js 

r-  c.  =.=  .£<£ 

-  .-'7  ^  = 

«  C-CJO  r  -' 

&8*tLs5 

jiljf.fi 

Average  number 

of  lines  in  each 
advi-  r  (  isrinont 
appearing  in  the 
Century  M  a  ^  a- 
xine  for  the  year 
indicated. 

11111 

1870 

33 

66 

112 

I87I 

'54 

1  86 

j85 

l83 
1873     !9^ 

251 
300 

146 

38 
32 

4.22 
4.46 

1874     189 

341 

124 

30 

4.68 

1875     231 

318 

162 

31 

5.65 

1876     162 

273 

I32 

30 

4.41 

1877     178 

230 

173 

38 

4.49 

1878 

202 

221 

3.56 

1879 

208 

224 

2OO 

63 

3-3° 

1880 

244 

293 

186 

61 

3-°4 

1881 

3I2 

299 

233 

66 

3-50 

1882  ,   355 

351 

226 

74 

3-53 

1883     395 

463 

191 

59 

3-23 

1884     427 

489 

195 

54 

3.60 

1885     446 

662 

150 

43 

1886     634 

656 

214 

54 

3  91 

1887 

662 

731 

202 

3-96 

1888 

873 

725 

269 

63 

4.24 

1889 
1890 

1061 

779 
910 

i 

60 

4.21 

4.50 

1891 

H73 

900 

292 

60 

4.78 

1892 

1178 

840 

61 

5.08 

1893 

1141 

770 

332 

64 

5.18 

1894 

919 

678 

304 

64 

4.84 

1895 

002  . 

63* 

61 

5-J3 

1896 

831 

60: 

308 

65 

4.72 

1897 

828 

53< 

332 

68 

4.82 

1898 

782 

48 

363 

68 

4.68 

1899 

954 

473 

452 

77 

4.00 

1900 

946 

4*9 

433 

88 

4.90 

1901 

921 

4:7 

472 

98 

4.82 

1002 

988 

4'  5 

486 

112 

4-34 

1003 

1135 

479 

531 

117 

4-54 

1904 

1064 

427  • 

119 

4.69 

1005 
1906 

1198 
1174 

393 

402 

1 

H4 

140 

5.09 
4.67 

1907 

1056 

364 

650 

4-30 

183 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

firms  advertising  in  the  same  magazine.  From  1890 
there  has  been  a  rapid  falling  off  till  in  1907  there 
were  but  364  firms  advertising  in  the  magazine.  Dur- 
ing the  year  1907  fewer  firms  were  advertising  in  this 
magazine  than  for  any  year  for  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
Although  the  decrease  has  been  but  slight  during  the 
recent  prosperous  years,  we  can  but  wonder  what  will 
happen  when  a  period  of  years  comes  which  is  less 
prosperous,  such  years,  for  instance,  as  those  of  the 
early  nineties  when  the  number  of  firms  was  so  greatly 
reduced. 

The  question  naturally  arises  as  to  the  possibility  of 
nine  hundred  firms  advertising  successfully  during  a 
single  year  in  the  same  magazine.  Perhaps  it  is  pos- 
sible, but  it  certainly  has  not  been  attained  in  1890— 
1907;  otherwise  the  firms  would  not  have  discontinued 
their  contracts.  Certain  advertising  managers  have 
seen  the  difficulty  of  crowding  so  many  advertisements 
into  the  two  groups  at  the  front  and  the  end  of  the 
magazines  and  have  sought  to  avoid  the  difficulty  by 
scattering  the  advertisements  through  the  reading  mat- 
ter. In  this  way  all  advertisements  are  in  some 
magazines  placed  "  next  to  reading  matter."  The 
proof  is  not  conclusive  that  this  method  of  scattering 
the  advertisements  is  of  any  great  advantage. 

The  point  made  clear  by  the  fourth  column  of  the 

table   is   that   of   the   increase   in   the 
Larger  Space 

B  '       IT    d    amount  °f  sPace  used  annually  by  each 
advertiser.     The   fifth   and   sixth   col- 
umns show  that  this  increase  is  not  due  to  the  more 

184 


MORTALITY  RATE  OF  ADVERTISERS 

frequent  insertion  of  advertisements  but  to  the  in- 
creased size  of  the  individual  advertisements.  Until 
1890  each  firm  used  on  the  average  approximately  one 
page  annually.  About  the  year  1890  the  real  struggle 
for  existence  set  in  among  advertisements,  and  that  is 
the  time  to  which  we  must  look  for  the  survival  of  the 
fittest.  If  the  small  advertisements  had  been  the  most 
profitable,  then  the  users  of  small  spaces  would  have 
survived  and  would  have  appeared  in  the  following 
years.  Such,  however,  is  not  the  case.  In  that  fierce 
struggle  the  small  spaces  proved  to  be  incapable  of 
competing  with  the  larger  spaces,  and  we  find  in  the 
succeeding  years  that  the  users  of  small  spaces  grew 
gradually  less.  This  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  although 
the  number  of  advertisers  has  decreased,  the  amount  of 
space  used  has  increased.  This  process  is  still  con- 
tinuing. The  year  1907  was  almost  identical  with  the 
year  1890  as  to  the  total  advertising  space,  but  showed 
a  decrease  of  60  per  cent,  in  the  number  of  firms  ad- 
vertising, while  the  average  amount  of  space  used  by 
each  advertiser  has  increased  150  per  cent.  This 
pronounced  increase  in  space  and  decrease  in  the  num- 
ber of  advertisers  is  perhaps  the  most  astounding  fact 
observed  in  the  development  of  advertising  in  Amer- 
ica. 

It  is  not  to  be  assumed  that  the  size  of  a  poor  ad- 
Need  for      vertisement  will  keep  it  from  failure 
Experts  in     any  more  than  the  age  of  a  consump- 
Advertising    tive  will  be  of  supreme  moment  in  de- 
termining his  probable  length  of  life.     It  is  also  not 

185 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

to  be  assumed  that  all  classes  of  merchandise  can  use 
full  pages  with  profit  and  that  no  classes  of  business 
can  be  more  successful  when  using  small  spaces  than 
when  using  larger  ones.  The  point  which  should  be 
emphasized  is  that  the  size  of  an  advertisement  is  one 
of  the  vital  elements  and  that  every  advertising  agent 
or  manager  should  be  an  advertising  expert  and  should 
be  able  to  give  advice  as  to  the  size  of  an  advertise- 
ment which  would  be  the  most  profitable  to  present  any 
particular  firm  with  any  particular  text  and  illustra- 
tion. 

The  advertising  agents  and  managers  should  not 
only  be  experts,  able  to  give  sucn  advice,  but  they 
should  have  such  confidence  in  'their  own  judgments 
that  they  would  refuse  to  handle  the  business  of  any 
firm  which  insisted  on  using  spaces  which  court  fail- 
ure. Every  failure  is  an  injury  to  the  advertising  me- 
dium, and  the  results  of  a  failure  should  be  looked 
upon  as  such  a  serious  matter  that  periodicals  which 
proved  unprofitable  in  a  large  proportion  of  cases 
would  be  avoided.  Physicians  are  regarded  as  ex- 
perts along  a  certain  line,  and  if  patients  refuse  to 
follow  their  advice  they  not  infrequently  refuse  to 
treat  them  further.  The  lawyer  is  an  expert  along 
another  line  and  he  assumes  his  client  will  take  his 
advice,  and  is  ordinarily  correct  in  his  assumption. 
There  is  no  good  reason  why  the  advertising  manager 
or  agent  should  not  be  looked  upon  in  the  same  way. 
If  he  is  sincere  in  his  judgments,  and  if  he  has  taken 
account  of  the  advertising  experience  of  the  many  and 

1 86 


MORTALITY  RATE  OF  ADVERTISERS 

not  of  the  few,  he  should  be  able  to  assist  the  pros- 
pective advertiser  in  avoiding  the  pitfalls  which  have 
been  the  destruction  of  a  very  large  proportion  of  all 
firms  that  have  attempted  to  advertise. 

Advertising  can  no  longer  be  said  to  be  in  its  in- 
fancy. It  has  now  reached  mature  years,  and  it  is 
high  time  that  the  professional  advertising  men  should 
awake  to  their  responsibility  and  display  the  same 
wisdom  that  is  displayed  by  the  physician  and  the 
lawyer.  A  physician  prides  himself  not  only  in  the 
number  of  his  patients,  but  also  in  the  low  death  rate 
of  his  patients.  I  believe  that  the  day  is  soon  coming, 
and  indeed  is  now  here,  when  the  advertising  man- 
agers of  our  periodicals  will  pride  themselves  in  the 
low  mortality  rate  of.  their  advertisers  rather  than  in 
the  total  number  of  advertising  pages  appearing 
monthly.  In  the  end  the  magazine  which  has  the 
lowest  mortality  rate  will  of  course  be  the  most  profit- 
able both  to  the  buyer  and  to  the  seller  of  space.  Be- 
cause of  the  psychological  effect  produced  by  the  larger 
spaces,  and  because  of  the  comparative  values  of  large 
and  of  small  spaces  as  given  above,  it  is  evident  that 
one  of  the  duties  of  the  advertising  manager  and  agent 
is  to  insist  on  the  use  of  adequate  space  and  to  be  able 
to  advise  what  is  adequate  space  in  any  particular 
case. 

\ 


187 


XIV 

THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  FOOD  AD- 
VERTISING 

THE  taste  of  foods  is  partially  a  matter  of  sentiment 
and  imagination.  This  is  largely  true  of  all  foods, 
TI  « rp  „  but  is  particularly  applicable  to  foods 
r  p  d  as  served  by  our  modern  chefs.  Our 
rural  ancestors  were  engaged  long 
hours  of  the  day  in  strenuous  toil  in  the  open  air. 
For  them  eating  was  merely  to  relieve  the  pangs  of 
hunger.  Pork  and  beans  would  cause  their  mouths  to 
"water,"  and  would  be  a  more  tempting  morsel  to  them 
than  are  the  best-prepared  dishes  of  our  gastro- 
nomic artists  to  us.  Times  have  changed.  \Ye  have 
turned  from  a  rural  population  living  out  of  doors 
into  an  urban  population  of  sedentary  habits.  This 
change  is  manifesting  itself  yearly  in  the  alterations 
which  are  being  wrought  in  our  food  consumption. 
The  cruder,  grosser  and  unesthetic  foods  are  finding 
fewer  consumers,  while  those  foods  are  finding  a  read- 
ier market  which  are  more  delicate  in  texture  and  more 
elegant  and  esthetic  in  appearance.  Of  all  kinds  of 
meat,  pork  is  the  one  that  is  the  least  pleasing  to  the 
eye.  It  does  not  lend  itself  easily  to  any  form  of 
garniture,  and  it  is  not  surprising  that  in  the  fifty 
years  from  1850  to  1900  the  American  people  had  be- 
come more  and  more  infrequent  eaters  of  pork.  In 
1850  each  inhabitant  of  the  land  ate  on  the  average 
considerably  more  than  one  hog.  In  1900  each  in- 

188 


FOOD     ADVERTISING 


habitant  ate  considerably  less  than  one-half  of  a  hog. 
This  is  a  falling  off  of  over  60  per  cent.  Of  all  the 
meat  foods,  eggs  are  perhaps  the  most  pleasing  in  ap- 
pearance. They  are  often  used  as  garniture  for  other 
meats  and  are  themselves  easily  garnished.  It  is  not 
strange  that  in  this,:same  period  of  fifty  years  the  use 
of  eggs  should  be  on  the  increase.  The  data  arg^  not 
at  hand  for  the  entire  period,  but  in  1880  each  in- 
habitant of  the  United  States  consumed,  on  the  aver- 
age, no  eggs.  In  1900  each  inhabitant  consumed  204 
eggs.  This  is  an  increase  of  over  85  per  cent,  in 
twenty  years,  which  must  be  regarded  as  a  most  re- 
markable change  for  any  people  to  make. 

The  appetite  of  our  modern  urban  civilization  is 
much  more  a  matter  of  sentiment  and  imagination 
than  was  that  of  our  rural  ancestors.  \Ye  all  think 
that  we  prefer  turkey  to  pork  because  the  taste  of  the 
turkey  is  better  than  that  of  the  pork.  We  should 
question  the  esthetic  judgment  of  a  man  who  would 
be  so  bold  as  to  say  that  the  taste  of  chicken  is  as 
good  as  that  of  quail.  Even  if  I  have  such  a  cold  in 
my  head  that  I  can  smell  nothing,  I  should  greatly 
prefer  maple  sirup  to  sorghum  molasses.  It  seems 
absurd  that  there  should  be  any  possibility  of  hesita- 
tion in  choosing  between  these  articles.  The  facts 
are  that  in  each  of  these  alternatives  as  to  choice  we 
are  unable  to  distinguish  the  difference  between  the 
two  by  taste  at  all. 

The  "  tasting  game  "  has  proved  itself  to  be  ex- 
tremely interesting  to  both  old  and  young.  In  this 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

game  portions  of  food  are  given  to  blindfolded  sub- 
jects who  are  then  asked  to  identify  the  food  by 
eating  it.  In  arranging  for  this  game,  the  foods 
should  be  carefully  prepared.  The  meats  should  be 
chopped  fine  and  no  seasoning  or  characteristic  dress- 
ing of  any  sort  should  be  used.  If  these  conditions 
are  observed,  and  if  in  no  extraneous  manner  the  name 
of  the  food  is  suggested,  the  blindfolded  subjects  will 
make  the.  most  astounding  mistakes  in  trying  to  name 
the  most  ordinary  articles  of  diet.  The  following  are 
some  of  the  mistakes  which  will  actually  occur :  Straw- 
berry sirup  may  be  called  peach  sirup  or  sugar  sirup. 
Beef  broth  may  be  called  chicken  broth.  The  liquid 
in  which  cabbage  has  been  boiled  may  be  said  to  be  the 
liquid  from  turnips.  Malt  extract  may  be  called  yeast 
or  ale.  Veal  broth  may  be  called  the  broth  of  mutton, 
beef  or  chicken.  Raw  potatoes  chopped  fine  may  be 
thought  to  be  chopped  acorns.  White  bread  may  be 
called  whole-wheat  bread.  Boston  brown  bread  may 
be  called  corn-meal  cake.  Beef,  veal,  pork,  turkey, 
chicken,  quail  and  other  meats  will  be  confused  in  a 
most  astounding  manner. 

This  "  tasting  game  "  would  be  impossible  if  we 
really  discriminated  between  our  articles  of  diet  by 
the  sense  of  taste. 

We  are  at  once  led  to  inquire  for  the  reasons  why 
we  choose  one  article  of  food  and  reject  another  if 
their  tastes  are  so  similar  that  we  cannot  tell  them 
apart  when  our  eyes  are  closed  or  blindfolded.  Why 
do  we  prefer  turkey  to  pork?  Of  course  there  are 

190 


FOOD    ADVERTISING 


certain  cuts  of  pork  which  do  not  resemble  certain 
parts  of  turkey,  but  the  question  has  to  do  only  with 
those  parts  of  turkey  and  pork  which  cannot  be  easily 
discriminated  with  closed  eyes.  The  correct  answer  to 
the  question  is  that  we  prefer  turkey  to  pork  be- 
cause turkey  is  rarer  than  pork  and  because  there  is  a 
certain  atmosphere  or  halo  thrown  about  turkey  which 
is  not  possessed  by  pork.  We  are  inclined  to  think 
of  pork  as  "  unclean,"  gross  and  unesthetic.  Turkey 
has  enveloped  itself  in  visions  of  feasts  and  banquets. 
It  is  associated  with  Thanksgiving  and  all  the  pleasant 
scenes  connected  therewith.  We  have  seen  pictures 
in  which  turkey  was  so  garnished  that  it  looked  beau- 
tiful. Crossness  and  sensuousness  naturally  attach 
themselves  to  the  unesthetic  process  of  eating  and  to 
the  unesthetic  articles  of  food,  but  turkey  associates 
itself  with  our  most  pleasing  thoughts  and  does  not 
stand  out  in  all  its  nudity  as  dead  fowl. 

Again  it  may  be  asked,  Why  do  we  prefer  quail  to 
chicken?  This  can  be  answered  in  terms  similar  to 
those  in  which  we  explained  the  preference  for  turkey 
as  compared  with  pork.  Quail  is  rarer  than  chicken. 
Furthermore,  the  quail  is  associated  in  our  minds  with 
the  pleasures  of  the  chase,  the  open  fields,  pure  air, 
the  copse  of  woods,  vigorous  exercise,  days  spent  in 
agreeable  companionship  and  exhilarating  sport.  Our 
ancestors  lived  by  the  chase,  and  we  seem  to  have  in- 
herited a  fondness  and  even  love  for  everything  con- 
nected therewith.  It  might  also  be  added  that  quail 
is  served  in  a  more  elegant  form  than  chicken.  The 

191 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

garnish  is  a  large  part  of  a  quail,  but  chicken  is  likely 
to  be  served  in  its  nudity.  There  is  a  delicacy  and 
yet  a  plumpness  about  the  quail  which  is  not  to  be 
found  in  a  chicken.  It  will  be  noticed  that  all  these 
points  of  superiority  of  quail  over  chicken  are  inde- 
pendent of  taste;  yet  they  all  have  a  part  in  deter- 
mining our  final  judgment  as  to  the  taste  of  the 
meat. 

The  American  people  have  been  long  years  in  cre- 
ating this  sentiment  in  favor  of  the  turkey  and  the 
quail,  but  it  is  well  established,  and  it  will  make  turkey 
and  quail  to  be  desired  even  when  other  meats  equally 
good  in  taste  are  rejected. 

The  man  who  has  food-stuffs  to  sell  would  be  fortu- 
nate if  he  could  get  his  commodity  in  a  class  with 
turkey  and  quail.  Such  a  result 

rea  mg       wou\d  insure  him  constant  sales  at  a 
an      Atmos-          ~    , .         .          T  .„ 

„  f        profitable  price.     Just  as  we  are  will- 

p      ,        ing  to  pay  more  for  turkey  and  quail 

Product       ^an  we  are  ^or  P01"^  and  chicken,  so 
we  would  be  willing  to  pay  more  for 
any  article  of  food  which  could  be  presented  to  us  in 
such  an  appetizing  atmosphere  as  they  are. 

The  questions  which  naturally  arise  in  the  mind  of 
the  advertiser  are,  Can  I  create  such  a  sentiment 
in  favor  of  my  commodity  that  it  will  be  seen  en- 
shrined in  sentiment?  Has  a  glamour  ever  been  cre- 
ated for  an  article  of  merchandise  by  advertising? 
This  last  question  must  certainly  be  answered  in  the 
affirmative.  If  the  advertisements  of  Ivory  Soap 

192 


FOOD     ADVERTISING 


(  Xo.  i )  have  accomplished  anything,  it  is  this  very 
thing.  All  of  these  advertisements  have  been  of  one 
class  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  They  all  bring  out 
the  one  point  of  spotless  elegance.  These  advertise- 
ments have  created  an  atmosphere,  and  when  I  think 


1. —  This  advertisement  assists  in 
creating  an  atmosphere  of  spotless 
elegance  about  Ivory  Soap. 


of  Ivory  Soap  a  halo  of  spotless  elegance  envelops 
it,  and  I  do  not  think  of  it  merely  as  a  prosaic  chunk  of 
fat  and  alkali.  I  have  had  this  idea  of  spotless  ele- 
gance so  thoroughly  associated  with  Ivory  Soap  by 
means  of  these  many  advertisements  that  I  actually 

193 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

enjoy  using  Ivory  Soap  more  than  I  would  if  the  soap 
had  not  been  thus  advertised.    The  advertising  of  this 
soap  not  only  induces  me  to  buy  it,  but  it  influences  me 
in  my  judgment  of  the  soap  after  I  have  bought  it. 
Another  advertising  campaign  which  is  to  be  likened 


No.  2. —  This  advertisement  attempts  to  as- 
sociate with  the  Chickering  Piano  an 
atmosphere  of  sumptuous  elegance. 


to  that  of  Ivory  Soap  is  that  of  the  Chickering  Piano 
(No.  2).  These  advertisements,  like  those  of  Ivory 
Soap,  often  seem  to  say  so  little  and  at  times  it  really 
seems  that  they  squander  their  space  by  filling  almost 
the  entire  page  with  the  illustration  and  by  saying 

194 


FOOD     ADVERTISING 


so  little  directly  about  their  merchandise.  They  are 
alike  in  that  the  goods  advertised  are  not  thrust  out 
into  the  foreground  of  the  illustration.  The  Chick- 
ering  Piano  may,  indeed,  be  the  central  part  of  the 
cut,  but  other  articles  of  furniture,  etc.,  are  empha- 
sized in  a  manner  which  seems  to  detract  from  the 
piano.  Many  advertisements  of  the  Chickering  Piano 
are  evidently  devised  to  represent  the  piano  as  an  arti- 
cle of  furniture  in  a  home  which  is  most  sumptuously 
and  tastefully  furnished.  We  are  left  to  draw  the  con- 
clusion for  ourselves  that  if  persons  with  such  elegant 
homes  choose  the  Chickering  it  must  be  good  enough 
for  us.  The  piano  is  set  most  artfully  in  this  at- 
mosphere of  cultured  refinement  and  elegance.  Most 
pianos  are  advertised  merely  -as  pianos,  and  I  can  think 
of  them  as  such,  but  I  find  that  my  thought  of  the 
Chickering  is  biased  by  this  air  of  elegance  which 
hovers  over  it. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  sentiment  created  in  favor 
of  Ivory  Soap  and  Chickering  Pianos  is  quite  com- 
parable to  that  which  exists  in  favor  of  turkey  and 
quail.  So  far  as  I  am  concerned  no  advertiser  of  food- 
stuffs has  quite  equaled  Ivory  Soap  and  the  Chickering 
Piano  in  creating  a  favorable  sentiment  or  atmos- 
phere in  favor  of  his  commodity.  The  firm  which 
has  come  the  nearest  to  it  is  the  National  Biscuit  Com- 
pany. Their  advertisements  of  Nabisco  (No.  3)  are 
most  excellent  in  that  they  create  an  atmosphere  w^hich 
is  exactly  suited  to  the  article  advertised.  Delicacy 
and  purity,  even  bordering  on  the  romantic  and  senti- 

195 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

mental,  are  the  qualities  which  we  all  feel  as  we  look 
at  the  advertisements  or  read  them.  These  advertise- 
ments have  been  so  successful  with  me  that  when  I 
eat  a  Nabisco  I  seem  to  get  a  sentimental  or  romantic 
taste  out  of  it.  If  while  in  the  dark,  I  were  given  a 


No.  3. —  This  advertisement  attempts  to 
associate  with  Nabisco  an  atmosphere 
of  romance  and  sentiment. 


new  flavor  of  Nabisco,  and  if  I  did  not  know  what  it 
was,  it  would  not  taste  so  good  as  it  would  under  nor- 
mal conditions.  I  enjoy  Nabisco  wafers  more  be- 
cause of  these  advertisements  than  I  should  if  I  had  not 
seen  them.  Sentiment  is  not  easily  or  quickly  en- 


FOOD     ADVERTISING 


gendered,  but  if  this  style  of  advertising  is  continued 
I  anticipate  that  Nabisco  sugar  wafers  will  taste  better 
and  better  with  each  succeeding  appearance  of  a  good 
advertisement. 

A  soda-cracker  is  one  of  the  most  prosaic  things 
imaginable,  and  nothing  kills  the  flavor  of  an  article 


o'Cakes 


"Land  o  Cubes'  is  a  name  frec-e." 
Scotfand  where  meal  cakes  form  an  important 
article  of  <fief  Be  phraae  *<is  made  farxxs  by 
Robert  Burs  n  I?M  IP  his  poem  On  Cafti* 

C*vst'f  Percgri*atw*i  ikrv*gk   S<jll&Hd*   wfach 

cocmences  wih  the  ^flowing  lines; 

•^fc*.  •Lmtt-Cttrt  iff  tr**a  kotfc 
Foe  rtadvtok.  to  Jobrav  Grans' 

it  may  weB  be  that  some  laier  poet  wl  s»«  of 
Amenca  as  the  Land  of  Biscuri.  for  n  the  pasl 
f.ve  yean  the  Amencan  peooie  have  orated 
o«er  three  huxi-ed  mJLon  packages  of 

Uneeda 
Biscuit 


TJAHOVAi  8ISCUTT  COMPAKV 


No.  4. —  This  advertisement  attempts 
to  associate  with  a  soda-cracker 
an  atmosphere  of  patriotism. 

of  diet  more  than  this  feeling  of  the  commonplace  and 
the  lack  of  poetical  or  esthetic  sentiment.  The  Na- 
tional Biscuit  Company  is  undertaking  a  big  task  when 
it  attempts  to  weave  poetical  associations  about  Uneeda 
Biscuit  (No.  i).  The  attempts  thus  far  have  been 
but  half-hearted  and  infrequent.  The  reproduced 

197 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

illustration  shown  herewith  (No.  4)   is  a  very  good 
attempt  to  give  the  Uneeda  Biscuit  a  connection  with 

pman's  higher  nature.  If  the  firm  is  able  to  create  a 
sentimental  setting,  or  to  associate  the  soda-cracker 
with  something  patriotic,  or  with  something  of  that 
sort,  it  will  add  immensely  to  the  "  taste  "  of  the  com- 

jtnodity. 

(  There  are  a  few  advertisers  of  food  products  who 
are  trying  to  create  an  appetizing  halo  and  to  spread 

\  it  over  their  goods,  but  in  general,  food  advertisements 

We  woefully  weak  at  this  point.  If  my  appreciation  of 
a  soap  or  a  piano  can  be  increased  by  advertising,  then 
most  assuredly  there  is  a  great  field  for  profitable  en- 
deavor for  the  advertiser  of  food-stuffs.  Nothing  is 
influenced  by  sentiment  and  imagination  more  than 

_the  sense  of  taste.  Whether  I  like  an  article  of  food 
or  not  often  depends  upon  what  I  think  of  the  food 
before  I  taste  it.  Here  is  the  advertiser's  opportunity. 
He  is  able  to  influence  me  to  buy  the  goods,  and  then 
his  advertisements  may  make  me  like  the  taste  of  the 
goods  after  I  have  bought  them.  Whether  his  goods 
will  be  classed  with  "  pork  "  or  with  "  turkey  "  de- 
pends not  only  on  the  real  taste  of  the  food-stuff,  but 
also  upon  the  efficacy  of  the  advertisements  in  cre- 
ating the  favorable  atmosphere. 

When  we  are  pleased  we  are  open  to  suggestions 
and  are  easily  induced  to  act.  When  we  are  dis- 
pleased, we  become  insensible  to  appeals,  and  are  over- 
cautious in  our  actions.  One  of  the  functions  of  the 
advertiser  is  to  please  the  prospective  customers  and 


FOOD     ADVERTISING 


in  every  way  possible  to  knit  agreeable  suggestions 
about    the    product    offered    for    sale. 

Most    persons    choose    their    foods 
Increases 

~  ,       wholly    upon    the    standard    of    taste. 

Demand  * 

for  Foods      They  choose   that  which  tastes   good 

while  they  are  eating  it,  and  refuse 
that  which  is  displeasing  to  the  palate.  The  savory 
morsel  is  eaten  without  thought  as  to  its  chemical  con- 
stituents. 

Perhaps  in  no  form  of  advertising  is  it  so  necessary 
to  please  the  prospective  customer  as  in  food  advertis- 
ing. Pleasure  stimulates  the  appetite,  and  pleasure  is 
the  standard  of  choice.  The  advertiser  of  food  prod- 
ucts should  therefore  present  only  the  most  pleasing 
suggestions,  and  he  should  depict  his  food  product  in 
the  most  appetizing  manner  possible. 

It  is  true  that  certain  foods  are  bought  because  of 
their  medicinal  properties,  but  such  foods  should  be 
regarded  as  medicine  rather  than  as  food.  The  trend 
of  our  diet  is  not  dependent  upon  any  one  thing.  A 
careful  study  of  the  changed  food  fashions  will  dis- 
cover many  agencies  at  work,  but  among  others  will 
certainly  be  found  the  appearance  of  the  food  stuff. 
The  package,  can,  bag,  basket,  bottle,  or  whatever  is 
used  to  encase  the-  goods  as  sold  and  delivered,  must 
be  regarded  as  an  integral  part  of  the  food  stuff,  and 
as  an  efficient  factor  in  determining  whether  the  goods 
will  be  consumed  in  increasing  or  decreasing  quantities. 
How  much  more  appetizing  are  crackers  packed  in  a 
box  than  the  same  crackers  sold  in  bulk!  Who  will 

199 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

say  how  much  is  due  to  the  form  of  the  box  in  the 
enormous  increase  of  crackers  in  America  during  the 
last  few  years!  Would  the  American  public  ever  have 
taken  kindly  to  the  cereal  breakfast  food  if  we  had 
been  compelled  to  buy  it  in  the  bulk  ? 

The  housewife  purchases  the  provisions  for  the  ta- 
ble. In  her  mind  the  package  is  intimately  associated 
with  the  contents.  She  knows  that  a  meal  does  not 
taste  good  unless  the  linen  is  spotless  and  the  service 
more  or  less  formal  and  ceremonious.  The  package 
in  which  the  goods  are  delivered  is  as  surely  associated 
with  the  food  as  is  the  linen  of  the  table  and  all  the 
other  articles  of  service.  The  modern  housewife  is 
insisting  on  a  beautiful  dining-room,  the  best  of  linen 
and  artistically  decorated  china.  The  glassware  must 
be  cut-glass  and  the  silver  of  the  most  improved  pat- 
tern. The  table  must  be  decorated  and  the  individual 
dishes  garnished.  The  housewife  who  is  insisting  on 
all  these  details  is  the  one  the  merchant  should  have" 
in  mind  when  he  is  planning  for  the  sale  of  his  goods. 
She  wants  those  articles  of  food  which  come  in  neat 
packages  and  which  can  be  served  in  neat  and  elegant 
/  form.  In  her  mind  the  appearance  is  an  essential  part 
of  the  taste,  and  she  does  not  believe  that  a  food  can 
be  appetizing  unless  it  looks  as  if  it  were. 

This  same  modern  housewife  predetermines  her 
choice  of  foods  by  what  she  knows  of  them  in  ad- 
vance. Her  ideas  may  be  molded  by  advertising,  for 
this  process  is  at  work  daily  in  all  our  homes.  Like 
the  housewives,  we  all  form  an  idea  of  a  food  by  the 

200 


FOOD     ADVERTISING 


advertisements  of  it  which  we  have  seen,  even  if  we 
have  not  read  them.  If  the  advertisment  looks  pleas- 
ing and  if  the  food  is  there  presented  in  an  appetizing 
manner,  we  believe  that  the  food  itself  will  be  all  right 
and  we  are  prejudiced  in  favor  of  it. 


ttavepu 

>ML     * 

tri 


After  tne  mgnt's  fast,  nothing  can  refresh  you  rnoretnm 
Wneatiet  wrm  lru.t.      It's  an  ideal  comoirution  because  cno«;ot  xoi 


wheat  only  is  nulled  intu 

WHEATLET 


Nature's  Best  offering  in  cereals/"  Every  known  element  of  nourishment 
is  carefully  retained  in  Wheatk-t,  anJ  you  have  yet  to  learn 
isfactory  cereal  doh  until  you  try  W  ruaurt.  eitner  witn  fruit  or 


THE  FRANKLIN  HILLS  COAPANY, 

~Mt  tte  #\au  vuft  fit  If 


No.  5. —  An  over  crowded  advertisement; 
the  promiscuous  abundance  kills  the 
appetite  for  food. 


One  thing  that  spoils  the  looks  of  food  products  is 
having  them  piled  up  in  a  confused  mass.  A  table 
which  contains  many  articles  of  food  at  once  is  not 

20 1 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

inviting  to  the  epicure.  We  like  to  have  our  meals 
served  in  courses,  and  prefer  many  light  courses  rather 
than  a  few  heavy  ones.  The  same  principle  holds  with 
advertisements.  Many  advertisements  which  would 
otherwise  be  strong  are  weakened  by  overcrowding  of 
good  things. 


No.  6. —  A  simplification  of  the  wheatlet 
border.  It  familiarizes  the  public 
with  the  appearance  of  the  package. 


The  reduced  advertisement  of  Wheatlet  (No.  5)  as 
reproduced  herewith  is  not  appetizing,  for  the  appear- 
ance of  the  whole  thing  is  ruined  by  the  multitude  of 
fruits  which  are  thrown  promiscuously  into  the  illus- 

202 


FOOD     ADVERTISING 


tration.  I  think  I  might  like  Wheatlet  if  it  were 
served  with  any  one  of  these  fruits,  but  if  it  should  be 
presented  in  such  a  confusion  as  this  it  would  not  be 
eaten  at  all. 

The  reproduced  advertisement  of  Egg-o-See  (No. 
6)  has  adopted  the  Wheatlet  border,  but  in  such  a 
simplified  form  that  it  is  successful  in  suggesting 
wheat  and  does  not  overcrowd  the  illustration. 

The  method  which  the  house-keepers  of  the  land 
employ  in  purchasing  foods  must  be  a  factor  in  de- 
termining the  appropriate  form  of  advertising.  In 
some  instances  householders  make  written  lists  of  the 
goods  desired;  the  order  is  placed  without  looking  at 
the  goods  at  all.  In  other  instances  the  order  is  sent 
by  telephone  or  by  a  messenger.  In  perhaps  the  most 
cases  the  purchaser  enters  the  grocery  store  in  person. 
She  has  her  list  of  purchases  but  imperfectly  made  out. 
As  she  enters  the  store  she  is  confronted  by  rows  and 
tiers  of  bottles,  cans  and  boxes.  Out  of  this  bewilder- 
ing multitude  of  packages  she  is  pleased  to  see  certain 
ones  which  are  known  to  her.  These  familiar  pack- 
ages catch  her  attention  more  than  the  scores  of  un- 
known ones.  The  known  ones  are  the  packages  which 
she  is  most  likely  to  purchase,  as  they  catch  her  atten- 
tion just  at  the  time  she  is  trying  to  recall  the  things 
of  which  she  may  be  in  need. 

Of  the  two  advertisements  (Wheatlet  and  Egg-o- 
See),  the  last  mentioned  emphasizes  the  appearance  of 
the  package,  while  the  advertisement  of  Wheatlet 
omits  the  presentation  of  the  package.  At  the  moment 

203 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

of  making  the  purchases  for  the  week  these  two  com- 
modities might  be  on  the  shelf  before  the  purchaser. 
The  reproduced  advertisement  of  Egg-o-See  is  such 
that  it  has  made  her  familiar  with  the  package  as  it 
appears  on  the  shelves  and  it  would  thus  be  called  to 
her  attention  at  the  critical  moment.  The  advertise- 
ment of  Wheatlet  is  not  such  as  would  have  assisted 
in  familiarizing  her  with  the  appearance  of  the  pack- 
age, and  thus  it  does  not  assist  in  attracting  her  eye  to 
the  goods  advertised  at  the  moment  of  decision. 
While  in  the  grocery  store  the  purchaser  does  not  taste 
the  various  articles,  but  tier  upon  tier  of  different  goods 
are  presented  to  her  sense  of  sight.  It  is  by  sight  that 
she  recognizes  the  various  packages,  and  an  advertis- 
ing campaign  that  familiarizes  the  housekeepers  of  the 
nation  with  the  distinguishing  appearance  of  any  par- 
ticular package  has  done  much  to  increase  its  sale. 

While  the  public  is  being  made  familiar  with  the 
food  or  the  food  container,  a  pleasing  appeal  should 
also  be  made  to  the  esthetic  nature  of  the  possible 
customers. 

The  human  race  is  carnivorous,  but  it  does  not  like 
to  be  reminded  of  the  fact.  It  is  disgusting  to  think 

of  eating  the  flesh  of  dead  cows,  hogs 
Are  We  ,,7          f 

~      .  -  and    sheep.     We    refuse    to    use    the 

Carnivorous?  v 

terms  cow-flesh,  hog-flesh  and  sheep- 
flesh.  Our  abhorrence  of  such  ideas  is  registered  in 
our  language,  and  so  we  use  the  terms  beef,  pork  and 
mutton.  It  is  not  pleasing  to  think  of  eating  the  flesh 
of  the  smaller  animals  and  of  fowls,  still  it  is  not  so 

204 


FOOD     ADVERTISING 


abhorrent  as  the  thought  of  eating  the  flesh  of  the 
larger  and  domestic  animals.  Accordingly  we  still 
use  the  same  word  to  denote  the  live  animal  and  the 
flesh  in  such  instances  as  rabbit,  squirrel,  chicken, 
goose,  etc. 

It  is  quite  conceivable  that  the  sight  of  a  dead  car- 
cass would  whet  the  appetite  of  a  hyena.  The  sight 
of  a  fat  pig  might  cause  the  mouth  of  a  wolf  to 
"  water."  The  sight  of  an  animal,  whether  dead  or 
alive,  is  not  very  appetizing  to  the  civilized  man  or 
woman.  \Ye  know  that  beef  is  nothing  but  the  flesh 
of  dead  cattle,  but  we  refuse  to  entertain  the  idea  at 
meal  time.  Indeed,  we  have  become  so  cultured  that 
we  like  to  have  our  meats  garnished  till  they  cease  to 
have  the  appearance  of  flesh  at  all.  There  are  whole 
nations  which  refuse  to  eat  meat,  and  vegetarianism  in 
our  own  country  is  but  an  indication  of  the  revolt  of 
the  human  mind  against  our  carnivorous  habits. 

As  a  nation  our  wealth  is  increasing  rapidly  and 
consequently  we  are  better  able  to  purchase  meats  now 
than  fifty  years  ago,  yet  the  government  statistics 
show  a  great  decrease  per  capita  in  the  consumption 
of  meats.  We  have  changed  from  a  rural  to  an  urban 
population  and  hence  require  less  meat  foods,  and 
what  we  do  eat  must  always  be  presented  in  a  pleasing 
manner  and  in  a  way  which  jars  as  little  as  possible 
against  our  refined  and  cultivated  natures. 

In  advertising  meats,  the  fact  should  never  be  em- 
phasized that  the  meat  is  the  flesh  of  an  animal.  That 
point  should  be  taken  for  granted  and  passed  over  as 

205 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 


,      a    .      .       .      .        ,-p,        ,, 
are  the  flesh  of  animals,      -Thus  the  re- 


lightly  as  possible.     Certain  advertisers  have  not  taken 

chis  matter  into  consideration  and  press 
Meat  Adver- 

tisements  vs. 
Q       s 

sibilities  produced  advertisement  of  Liebig  (No. 
7)  is  given  up  to  the  emphasizing 
of  the  point  that  this  extract  is  secured  from  the  car- 
casses of  beautiful  steers.  This  advertisement  makes 
no  one  hungry  for  Liebig  Company's  extract  of  beef. 
The  advertisement  is  intended  to  make  the  public 


No.  7. —  This  adver- 
tisement makes 
no  one  hungry 
for  extract  of 
beef. 


familiar  with  the  Liebig  trade-mark,  and  the  criticism 
is  therefore  directed  against  the  choice  of  such  a  trade- 
mark rather  than  against  this  special  advertisement, 
which  is  but  a  presentation  of  the  trade-mark.  The 
reproduced  advertisement  of  Armour  &  Co.  (No.  8) 
does  not  present  an  animal  in  its  entirety,  but  it  repre- 
sents too  much  of  it.  The  carcasses  as  shown  in  the 

206 


FOOD     ADVERTISING 


advertisement  are  too  large  to  tempt  our  appetites  and 
the   general   effect   is   rather  disgusting.      If   smaller 


Association  of  Ideas 

A  Lesson  in  Memory  Training 


By  what  Chain  of  Ideas 

would    you    link    together 

these  (our  mental  pictures  ? 

ARMOUR'S— BEEF—  EXTRACT— POTTED 

IN  ENGLAND 


And  by  what  Mental  Images 

would  you  fasten  in  your  mind  the  following  three  ideas? 
(l.)  .Tame  cattle— of  selected   breed— raised  on  rich 

larm   lands— not   running  »i!d   on   the   South 

American  pampas. 
(a.)  'Extract  made  on  the  highest  and  most  modern 

scientific  principles. 
(3)    Best  Extract  of  ihe  Best  BeeL 


Ataovi'*  Ertrictof  B»t 

to  not  eni»  «»p«c.i:'/ 
•MM  for  S«yO«.  S«uci», 
Ortvl*.  «r-d  S«.f  T.«, 


SCALLOPED    FISH. 

••mat*! ofmr  cold  run:  ull ;  o« 
Vitttr  IfMliMi:  Armour" »  liir» 
F«k»  Ike 


ibe  butter,  fteasoa  viik  aalt  and  pepper, 
or  >h*ll  U  full,  the*  melt  it*  E«  r»cl  (•  «  tl/ij  d>op  o(  lux 
«.«  ..d  bn,,h  <m.Sk«  l,p  ,,,h  it  rS  3  tK,~l. 
cmrnbl  >IM|  *  l.irle  mot*  butter.  Bjk<  in  (ou<  o»«n  •  >k* 
(«Ue«  bro...  »4  Mm  U  UK  ikell  or  disk. 


ARMOUR  9  CO..  46a.  Holbohi  Viaduct.  London,  E.C 


No.    8. —  This    advertisement    associates    Armour's 
meat  with  the  carcasses  of  dead  animals. 


pieces  of  meat  had  been  shown,  the  result  would  have 
been  entirely  different. 

The  reproduced  advertisement  of  Armour's  potted 
207 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

ham  and  ox  tongue  (No.  9)  is  perhaps  one  of  the 
most  pleasing  advertisements  of  meats  that  has  ap- 
peared in  our  magazines.  No  one  can  look  at  the  ad- 


No.  9. —  This  advertisement  increases  the 
appetite  for  Armour's  meat. 

vertisement  without  being  impressed  with  the  desira- 
bility of  these  products.  The  meat  is  presented  in 
small  pieces  and  is  garnished  till  it  is  hardly  recogniz- 

208 


FOOD     ADVERTISING 


able.  Such  an  advertisement  creates  a  demand  for  the 
goods  and  prejudices  the  customers  in  their  favor,  and 
the  ham  and  ox  tongue  will  taste  better  to  the  cus- 
tomer after  he  has  seen  this  advertisement.  This 


m 
.& 


•m/  White 
M      Star; 
Coffee 


No.  10.— A  slimy 
frog  associated 
with  White  Star 
coffee  kills  the 
desire  for  coffee. 


would  be  a  better  advertisement  for  Armour  &  Co.  if 
the  can  were  shown  in  which  this  meat  had  been  pur- 
chased. The  border  might  include  a  cut  of  the  con- 
tainer and  the  total  effect  be  rendered  none  the  less 
artistic. 

209 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

We  not  only  object  to  thinking  of  ourselves  as 
carnivorous  but  we  object  to  having  .animals  connected 
in  any  way  with  our  foods.  The  re- 
produced advertisement  of  White  Star 
Coffee  (No.  10)  is  in  every  way  dis- 
gusting. Frogs  are  inherently  un- 
canny to  most  persons,  and  to  see  them  here  as  the 


Associating 

Foods  With 

Animals 


No.  11. —  He  seems 
to  like  it  and  I 
imagine  that  it 
is  excellent. 


representatives  of  a  particular  brand  of  coffee  serves 
but  to  instil  a  dislike  and  even  abhorrence   for   the 

210 


FOOD     ADVERTISING 


product.  This  advertisement  never  made  anyone 
eager  for  a  cup  of  coffee.  It  does  not  create  a  demand 
for  coffee  and  in  the  cases  where  the  demand  already 
exists  it  does  not  convince  the  casual  observer  that 
White  Star  Coffee  is  particularly  desirable.  It  is  one 


Satisfyanpelicious.  Crisp 
and  Ready-to-Serve 

One-Jaste  convinces. 


No.  12. —  An  example  of  waste  in  adver- 
tising. 


of  the  most  silly  and  destructive  advertisements  ap- 
pearing in  our  current  magazines.  The  other  repro- 
duced advertisement  of  the  same  brand  of  coffee  (No. 
n)  is  in  no  way  objectionable  and  is  a  great  improve- 
ment in  point  of  display  over  the  first  one. 

211 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

Ordinarily  we  feed  the  animals  what  we  do  not  care 
to  eat  ourselves,  and  the  assumption  is  that  that  which 
is  good  enough  for  the  beasts  is  not  fit  for  men  and 
women.  In  the  reproduced  advertisement  of  Korn 
Krisp  (No.  12)  the  food  is  represented  as  being  fed  to 
the  fowls.  The  assumption  would  be  that  it  is  a  food 
especially  adapted  to  their  taste,  and  I  should  not 
want  to  eat  it  myself.  Even  the  young  goose  seems 
to  be  disgorging  the  food  for  some  unexplained  rea- 
son! Here  we  have  evidence  of  an  amateur  adver- 
tiser who  was  enamoured  with  his  play  on  the  words, 
"  it  fills  the  bill,"  and  who  was  willing  to  pay  for  the 
exploitation  of  his  joke  under  the  pretense  of  an  ad- 
vertisement. 

It  may  be  possible  that  under  very  exceptional  cir- 
cumstances it  would  be  advisable  to  introduce  an  ani- 
mal in  an  advertisement  of  a  food  product,  but  it 
should  be  done  only  with  great  caution  and  with 
full  realization  of  ihe  dangers  incurred  because  of  the 
inevitable  association  between  the  animal  and  the  food 
advertised. 

The  advertiser  must  seek  to  associate  his  food  only 
with  purity  and  elegance.  In  a  sense  the  advertise- 
ment is  the  representative  of  the  food, 

Purity  and  ,  .r  •.  •  •  •  *.  1 

_.,.  and  if  the  advertisement  is  associated 

with  disgusting  or  displeasing  objects 
the  food  is  the  loser  thereby.  The  advertising  pages 
of  many  of  our  cheaper  periodicals  are  nothing  better 
than  chambers  of  horrors.  The  afflictions  of  mankind 
are  here  depicted  in  an  exaggerated  form.  The  paper 

212 


FOOD     ADVERTISING 


is  poor,  the  ink  is  the  cheapest  and  the  make-up  is 
without  taste.  They  are  altogether  a  gruesome  sight. 
Food  advertisements  in  such  papers  are  practically 
worthless.  Even  in  these  papers  a  few  food  advertise- 


No. 13. —  Food  advertisements  ruined  by  the 
make-up  of  the  paper. 

ments  are  found,  but,  fortunately,  there  are  only  a 
few.  In  these  cheaper  forms  of  publications  the  ma- 
jority of  advertisements  are  likely  to  be  of  patent 
medicines  or  of  forms  of  investments.  The  medicines 

213 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

are  advertised  by  depicting  the  unwholesome  aspects  of 
life,  and  the  investments  are  usually  of  a  questionable 
sort.  These  advertisements  of  patent  medicines  and 
investment  schemes  make  the  readers  suspicious  and 
hence  they  are  in  a  condition  of  mind  which  leads  them 
to  suspect  the  foods  advertised  as  being  adulterated 
and  impure. 

Even  good  daily  papers  are  open  to  this  criticism. 
No.  13  is  a  reproduction  of  a  section  of  one  of  the  best 
American  dailies.  The  food  advertisements  are  here 
associated  with  "  skin  diseases,"  "  asthma,"  "  consump- 
tion," "  blood  poison,"  "  whirling  spray  douche," 
"  pimples,"  "  eruptions,"  "  backaches,"  and  other  ills 
and  unappetizing  suggestions.  What  value  is  the  ad- 
vertisement of  Malt  Marrow  and  of  Armour's  Star 
Ham  in  such  an  environment?  Until  the  daily  papers 
have  more  to  offer  than  such  position  as  is  indicated 
by  No.  13  they  certainly  are  not  preferred  media  for 
food  advertisers. 


214 


XV 

THE  UNCONSCIOUS  INFLUENCE  IN 
STREET  RAILWAY  ADVERTISING 

EVERY  form  of  advertising  has  its  particular  psycho- 
logical effect,  and  the  medium  which  the  merchant 
should  choose  depends  upon  many  conditions.  Fore- 
most among  such  conditions  are  expense,  the  class  of 
persons  to  be  reached,  the  quality  of  goods  to  be  pre- 
sented, the  width  of  distribution  of  goods,  etc..  etc. 
Equal  with  these  conditions,  however,  the  advertiser 
shoti'd  consider  the  peculiar  psychological  effect  of  each 
particular  form.  The  monthly  magazine,  the  week- 
lies and  the  dailies  carry  authority  which  is  lacking 
in  other  forms.  These  publications  are  held  in  high 
repute  in  the  household,  and  advertisements  appearing 
in  them  are  benefited  by  this  confidence  which  is  be- 
stowed upon  everything  appearing  in  them.  Posters, 
bill-boards,  painted  signs  and  similar  forms  of  adver- 
tising admit  of  extensive  display  within  a  prescribed 
area  and  have  great  attention  value.  Booklets,  circu- 
lars and  similar  forms  of  advertising  admit  of  com- 
plete descriptions  and  may  be  put  in  the  hands  of  only 
those  who  are  interested  in  the  commodity  offered  for 
sale.  They  appeal  to  the  reason  in  a  way  not  sur- 
passed by  any  form  of  printed  advertising. 

The  psychological  effect  of  street  car  advertising  is 
not  generally  recognized  and  in  this  presentation  there 

215 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

is  no  attempt  to  praise  one  form  of  advertising  and  to 
decry  all  others,  but  inasmuch  as  the  psychological 
effects  of  other  forms  are  recognized  and  that  of  street 
car  advertising  is  frequently  not  recognized,  this  latter 
is  selected  for  fuller  presentation. 

Our  minds  are  constantly  subjected  to  influences  of 
which  we  have  no  knowledge.  We  are  led  to  form 

T  opinions  and  judgments  by  influences 

f  T*  e  wmcn  we  should  reject  if  we  were 
aware  of  them.  After  we  have  de- 
cided upon  a  certain  line  of  action,  we  frequently  at- 


tempt  to  justify  ourselves  in  our  own  eyes,  and  so  we 
discover  certain  logical  reasons  for  our  actions' and  as- 
sume them  to  have  been  the  true  cause,  when  in  reality 
they  had  nothing  to  do  with  it.  The  importance  of 
these  undiscovered  causes  in  our  every-day  thinking 
and  acting  may  be  illustrated  by  the  following  exam- 
pie. 

Lines  A  and  B  are  .of  equal  length,  although  A 
seems  longer.  Now  why  do  we  reach  the  conclusion 
that  A  is  longer  than  B,  when  in  reality  such  is  not 
the  case?  If  they  are  the  same  length,  and  we  see 

216 


STREET     RAILWAY    ADVERTISING 

them  in  a  clear  light,  we  should  expect  that  they  would 
appear  to  be  as  they  actually  are.  The  accepted  expla- 
nation of  this  illusion  is  that  there  are,  entering  into 
the  judgment,  certain  imperceptible  causes  which  make 
us  see  the  lines  as  of  different  length.  This  explana- 
tion was  not  discovered  till  recent  years,  but  it  has  been 
proved  to  be  correct.  In  judging  the  length  of  lines 
we  run  our  eyes  over  them,  and  so  get  a  sensation  from 
the  contraction  of  the  muscles  of  the  eyes.  We  judge 
of  the  length  of  lines  by  the  amount  of  this  sensation 
derived  from  contracting  the  muscles  which  move  the 
eyes.  If  two  lines  are  the  same  distance  from  us  and 
are  the  same  length,  our  eyes  will  ordinarily  move  equal 
distances  in  traversing  their  lengths.  If  two  lines  are 
equally  distant  from  us,  and  one  longer  than  the  other, 
we  ordinarily  have  to  move  our  eyes  farther  in  esti- 
mating the  length  of  the  longer  one  than  in  estimating 
the  length  of  the  shorter  one.  We  are  not  aware  of 
the  sensations  received  from  these  movements  of  our 
eyes,  and  yet  we  estimate  lengths  of  lines  by  them. 
The  peculiar  construction  of  the  lines  A  and  B  induces 
the  eye  to  move  farther  in  estimating  the  length  of  A. 
We  therefore  assume  that  A  is  longer  than  B  because 
our  eyes  move  farther  in  estimating  its  length  than  in 
estimating  the  length  of  B. 

The  street  railway  advertiser  controls  an  unrecog- 
nized force  which  is  similar  to  that  just  described  in  the 
estimation  of  the  length  of  lines.  The  arrow  point- 
ing toward  the  line  as  shown  in  A  causes  us  all  to  over- 
estimate the  magnitude  of  the  line ;  and  there  is  a  fac- 

217 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

tor  present  in  street  railway  advertising  which  causes 
us  to  be  influenced  by  it  more  than  would  seem  possi- 
ble. There  has  been  much  poor  street  railway  adver- 
tising, and  yet  the  results  have  been  phenomenally 
great.  Some  recent  tests  of  the  extent  to  which  pas- 
sengers had  been  influenced  by  such  advertising  showed 
most  conclusively  that  there  was  an  unrecognized 
power  in  it.  A  study  of  the  situation  discloses  the  fact 
that  this  unconscious  influence  is  none  other  than 
TIME  which  manifests  itself  in  three  phases  as  pre- 
sented below. 

As  a  result  of  investigations  upon  magazine  and 
newspaper  advertising  the  conclusion  was  reached  that 

T'        Whil  d  on  ^e  avera&e  onty  ten  Per  cent<  °*  ^e 
A  time  devoted  to  newspapers  and  maga- 

zines was  spent  in  looking  at  the  ad- 
vertisements. (For  a  fuller  account  of  the  investiga- 
tion see  Chapter  X.)  As  a  conclusion  deduced  from 
these  results  it  was  recommended  that  advertisements 
should  be  so  constructed  that  the  gist  of  each  could  be 
comprehended  at  a  glance,  for  most  advertisements  in 
newspapers  and  magazines  receive  no.  more  than  a 
glance  from  the  average  reader.  The  ordinary  reader 
of  newspapers  and  magazines  glances  at  all  of  the 
advertising  pages  and  sees  all  the  larger  and  more 
striking  advertisements.  There  are  many  exceptions 
to  this.  There  are  persons  who  read  all  the  advertise- 
ments and  there  are  others  who  glance  at  but  few  of 
them.  Magazines  and  newspapers  have  become  so 
numerous  and  the  daily  duties  so  pressing  that  we  can- 

218 


STREET     RAILWAY     ADVERTISING 

not  take  time  to  read  all  the  advertisements,  and  so  we 
devote  but  few  minutes  to  them,  and  in  those  few 
minutes  we  see  a  great  number.  We  cannot  afford  the 
time  to  do  more.  ^ 

The  case  is  different  with  street  railway  advertising. 
Here  there  is  no  shortage  of  time.  There  is  sufficient 
opportunity  to  see  every  person  in  the  car  and  to  de- 
vote as  much  time  to  the  process  as  good  breeding  will 
allow.  Thereafter  one  is  compelled  to  look  at  the  floor 
or  else  above  the  heads  of  the  passengers.  One  can- 
not read  a  newspaper  on  a  crowded  car  —  I  am  ac- 
quainted only  with  crowded  cars.  Neither  is  it  prac- 
ticable to  read  a  book  or  magazine  on  a  jolting  car  — 
I  am  acquainted  only  with  such.  To  attempt  to  look 
out  of  a  window  opposite  to  you  causes  the  lady  oppo- 
site to  wonder  at  your  rudeness  in  staring  at  her,  for  to 
look  out  of  the  window  the  eyes  are  directed  so  nearly 
at  the  face  of  some  passenger  that  one's  intentions  are 
misjudged.  In  defense  of  one's  good  breeding  and  to 
drive  away  the  weariness  of  the  ride  many  a  passenger 
is  compelled  to  turn  his  gaze  on  the  placards  which 
adorn  the  sides  of  the  car.  The  passenger  has  for 
once  an  abundance  of  time.  He  reads  the  card  and 
then  reads  it  again  because  he  has  nothing  else  to  do. 
This  may  be  very  silly,  but  what  of  it?  It  offers  a 
diversion,  and  anything  is  better  than  looking  at  the 
floor,  counting  the  number  of  passengers,  or  wratching 
the  conductor  ring  up  the  fares. 

The  amount  of  time  spent  in  riding  on  street  cars 
in  America  is  far  beyond  the  conception  of  most  per- 

219 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

sons.  Statistics  show  that  in  the  United  States  in  the 
single  year  of  1902  about  5,000  million  cash  fares  were 
collected  for  passengers  on  street  cars.  In  addition  to 
these  cash  fares  there  were  many  transfers  and  passes. 
The  figures  for  the  year  1907  are  very  much  in  excess 
of  those  for  1902.  In  the  average  American  city  the 
number  of  fares  collected  on  street  cars  equals  about 
66  per  cent,  of  the  total  population  of  the  city.  There 
are  no  data  available  for  the  length  of  time  consumed 
by  an  average  street  car  ride.  Fifteen  minutes  may  be 
regarded  as  a  fair  estimate.  Upon  this  estimate  each 
inhabitant  of  our  cities  spends  on  the  average  as 
much  as  ten  minutes  a  day  in  a  street  car.  These  rides 
become  very  monotonous;  the  passengers'  minds  are 
not  occupied,  and  very  much  more  time  is  whiled  away 
by  looking  at  the  advertisements  than  we  are  aware  of. 
One  young  lady  asserted  that  she  had  never  looked 
at  any  of  the  cards  in  the  cars  in  which  she  had  been 
riding  for  years.  When  questioned 

Time  Secures  furth       it  appeared  that  she  knew  by 

Forgetfulness  , 
r  £  r  heart  almost  every  advertisement  ap- 

of  Source  of  .•;.  . 

Information  Pearm£  on  the  hne  (Chlca^°  and 
Evanston  line),  and  that  the  goods  ad- 
vertised had  won  her  highest  esteem.  She  was  not 
aware  of  the  fact  that  she  had  been  studying  the  adver- 
tisements, and  flatly  resented  the  suggestion  that  she 
had  been  influenced  by  them.  Some  of  the  goods  ad- 
vertised were  known  to  her  only  by  these  advertise- 
ments, yet  she  supposed  that  they  had  nothing  to  do 
with  her  esteem  of  the  goods.  She  supposed  that  she 

220 


STREET     RAILWAY     ADVERTISING 

had  always  known  them,  that  they  were  used  in  her 
home,   or  that   they   had  been  recommended  to  her. 
She  did  not  remember  when  she  had  first  heard  of 
them. 

It  has  been  said  that  we  have  learned  nothing  per- 
fectly  until   we   have   forgotten   how    we   learned   it. 
This  has  a  special  application  to  advertising.     An  ad- 
vertisement  has   not   accomplished   its   mission   till   it 
has   instructed  the  possible  customer  concerning  the 
goods  and  then  has  caused  him  to  forget  where  he  re- 
ceived his  instruction.     This  is  especially  important  in 
street  car  advertising.     The  information  which  we  re- 
ceive from  the  card  in  the  street  car  soon  becomes  a 
part  of  us,  and  we  forget  where  we  received  it. 

This  forgetfulness  of  the  source  of  our  information 
is  due  to  the  interval  which  has  elapsed  between  the 
first  time  the  advertisement  was  seen  and  the  present. 
The  more  frequently  the  advertisement  is  seen,  the 
more  rapidly  will  the  memory  of  the  first  appearance 
fade  and  leave  us  with  the  feeling  that  we  have  always 
known  the  goods  advertised,  and  that  the  advertise- 
ment itself  is  no  essential  part  of  our  information. 
[This  point  is  more  fully  developed  in  Chapter  VI, 
Suggestion.] 

The  element  of  timers  it  enters  the  problem  of  ad- 
vertising is  recognized  to  a  limited  ex- 
Time  In-  ,    .       .  .         .        .. 

_        tent  in  the  two  phases  thus   far  dis- 
creases  Our 

A     r  ciation   cussec*'  "u*  there  is  another  phase  and 

one   of   even   more   importance   which 

has,  to  the  writer's  knowledge,  never  been  mentioned 

221 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

in  connection  with  advertising.  We  devote  the  most 
time  to  those  subjects  which  we  regard  as  the  most 
important.  My  profession  takes  most  of  my  thought, 
the  lacing  of  my  shoes  very  little.  Ideas  which  im- 
press me  as  important  cause  me  to  think  of  them  for 
lengthy  periods  of  time.  Ideas  which  seem  insignifi- 
cant are  dismissed  immediately  from  my  mind. 

This  element  is  recognized  by  every  skilful  public 
speaker.  He  speaks  rapidly  that  which  he  wishes  us 
to  consider  as  of  little  importance.  He  speaks  slowly 
that  which  he  wishes  us  to  regard  as  of  special  sig- 
nificance. We  weigh  the  importance  of  his  statements 
and  estimate  their  value  in  terms  of  the  time  which  he 
gives  to  each. 

In  poetry,  thoughts  which  are  trivial  or  of  minor 
importance  are  expressed  by  rapid  movements.  Ideas 
which  are  of  more  importance  and  which  are  sup- 
posed to  call  forth  much  thought  from  the  reader  are 
expressed  in  slow  movements.  This  same  principle 
holds  in  music.  Music  which  means  much  —  which 
suggests  many  thoughts,  which  is  sublime,  deep  or 
large  —  all  such  music  is  written  in  slow  time.  The 
so-called  "  rag-time  "  is  assumed  to  have  no  meaning; 
it  is  not  supposed  to  suggest  lines  of  thought.  It  has 
no  intrinsic  importance  and  is  consequently  appropri- 
ately expressed  in  fast  time. 

In  the  case  of  the  orator,  the  poet  and  the  musician 
the  effect  is  produced  by  this  unrecognized  element  of 
time.  That  which  holds  our  thought  for  a  longer 
time  seems  to  us  to  be  important ;  that  which  we  hurry 

222 


STREET     RAILWAY     ADVERTISING 

over  seems  unimportant.  The  orator,  the  poet  and 
the  musician  have  simply  accommodated  themselves  to 
our  intuitive  method  of  thinking  and  have  been  suc- 
cessful because  they  have  conformed  their  expressions 
to  the  human  method  of  thought. 

As  was  shown  above,  the  passengers  on  street  rail- 
ways have  but  little  to  distract  their  attention.  They 
go  over  the  same  road  so  frequently  that  the  streets 
passed  through  cease  to  be  interesting.  Since  news- 
papers and  magazines  cannot  be  easily  read,  the  cards 
have  but  few  rivals  for  attention.  Even  those  who 
have  but  little  interest  in  the  advertisements  find  that 
they  glance  at  the  cards  frequently  and  that  the  eyes 
rest  on  a  single  card  for  a  considerable  length  of  time. 
The  same  card  may  be  read  or  glanced  at  daily  for  as 
long  a  time  as  the  card  is  left  in  the  car.  The  sum 
total  of  the  time  thus  devoted  to  the  card  is  as  great 
as  the  amount  of  time  that  we  devote  to  many  of  our 
important  interests.  Under  ordinary  circumstances 
we  bestow  thought  upon  objects  in  proportion  to  their 
importance.  This  is  not  an  absolute  rule,  of  course, 
but  it  expresses  a  principle.  The  reverse  of  this  prin- 
ciple is  not  recognized  by  us  at  all  and  yet  it  is  of 
primal  importance. 

That  which  occupies  our  minds  for  a  great  amount 
of  time  assumes  thereby  an  importance  which  may  be 
out  of  all  proportion  to  its  real  value.  Illustrations  of 
this  fact  are  to  be  found  on  every  hand.  The  mother 
is  likely  to  think  the  most  of  the  child  which  has  caused 
her  the  most  thought.  The  sickly  child  occupies  her 

223 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

mind  more  than  the  well  one,  and  this  .accounts  for 
the  fact  that  she  attributes  to  the  sickly  child  an  im- 
portance far  beyond  its  real  worth.  Our  old  school- 
books,  upon  which  we  were  compelled  to  bestow  so 
many  hours  of  study,  in  later  years  assume  a  value 
in  our  eyes  far  in  excess  of  their  real  merit.  The 
goods  which  through  their  advertisements  have  occu- 
pied our  minds  for  long  periods  of  time  assume  in  our 
minds  an  importance  which  is  often  far  in  excess  of 
anything  which  would  have  been  anticipated  by  one 
who  was  not  familiar  with  the  peculiar  power  here  de- 
scribed. In  estimating  the  relative  values  of  two  com- 
peting lines  of  goods,  I  assume  that  my  judgment  is 
based  on  the  goods  themselves  as  they  are  presented  to 
my  reason.  I  am  not  aware  of  the  fact  that  I  am 
prejudiced  in  favor  of  the  goods  that  have  occupied 
my  mind  the  longest  periods  of  time.  Yet  it  is  as 
certain  that  this  element  of  time  has  biased  my  judg- 
ment of  the  relative  values  of  the  goods  as  it  is 
that  the  eye  movement  influences  my  judgment  of  the 
lengths  of  lines. 

Advertisements  in  newspapers  and  magazines  are 
seen  by  a  great  number  of  the  readers,  but  the  time 
devoted  to  any  particular  advertisement  is  very  small, 
unless  there  is  a  special  interest  in  the  advertisement. 

There  is  indeed  no  form  of  advertising  which  is  pre- 
sented to  such  a  large  number  of  possible  purchasers 
for  such  a  long  period  of  time  and  so  frequently  as  is 
the  advertising  in  street  railway  cars.  In  most  other 
forms  of  advertising  we  devote  to  any  particular  ad- 

224 


STREET     RAILWAY     ADVERTISING 

vertisement  oply  as  much  time  as  we  think  it  is  worth. 
In  street  railway  advertising  we  devote  longer  time 
than  we  really  think  is  due  to  the  advertisements,  and 
then  we  turn  around  and  estimate  the  value  of  the 
goods  advertised  by  the  amount  of  time  that  we  have 
devoted  to  the  advertisement.  This  is  the  psychologi- 
cal explanation  of  the  amazing  potency  of  this  particu- 
lar form  of  advertising. 


225 


XVI 

THE  QUESTIONNAIRE  METHOD   IN 
ADVERTISING 

ILLUSTRATED    BY    AN    INVESTIGATION    UPON    NEWSPAPERS 

EXPERIENCE  is  the  best  teacher.  Methods  that  en- 
able one  to  make  the  greatest  use  of  one's  own  experi- 
ence are  valuable.  Methods  that  make  the  experi- 
ence? of  others  also  available  are  even  more  valuable. 

One  of  the  functions  of  every  science  is  to  develop 
methods  that  are  useful  for  investigating  problems 
which  concern  that  particular  science.  One  of  the 
methods  that  modern  psychology  has  developed  is  the 
so-called  Questionnaire  Method.  This  method  has 
many  defects,  but  it  has  the  inestimable  value  of  as- 
sisting the  investigator  to  take  advantage  of  the  ex- 
periences of  a  great  number  of  individuals. 

The  questionnaire  method  is  used  to  secure  the  con- 
census and  the  diversity  of  many  individual  opinions. 
A  single  question  or  a  set  of  questions  is  presented  to 
any  desired  group  of  persons.  The  answers  to  the 
questions  are  derived  from  the  experiences  of  those 
who  are  to  answer  them.  If  the  questions  call  for  the 
description  of  simple  unemotional  events,  reliance  may 
be  put  in  the  answers  received  from  all  sincere  re- 
spondents. If  the  answers  call  for  a  difficult  analysis 
of  motives  and  interests,  less  reliance  can  be  placed  in 

226 


THE     QUESTIONNAIRE     METHOD 

any  single  answer  and  greater  caution  must  be  used  in 
drawing  conclusions  based  upon  the  replies. 

There  are  many  problems  that  the  advertiser  needs 
to  investigate  for  which  the  questionnaire  method  alone 
is  available.  A  single  illustration  will  indicate  how 
such  questions  arise,  how  they  may  be  investigated, 
and  will  also  present  a  mass  of  information  concern- 
ing newspapers  that  is  of  interest  and  profit  to  adver- 
tisers. 

A  prominent  advertising  man  was  planning  copy  to 
be   used  on   street-car  cards  designed  to  secure  new 
subscribers  to  newspapers.     The  cam- 
paign was  to  be  conducted  in  different 
Problems  '    .  ... 

for  Research  American  cities  in  the  interest  of  local 
papers,  but  in  each  case  the  attempt  was 
to  be  made  to  reach  the  best  citizens  of  the  city.  The 
two  following  questions  naturally  suggestedthemselves  : 
irhat  is  there  in  the  modern  ne-wspaper  that  appeals 
to  the  better  classes  of  society,  and  what  motives 
should  be  appealed  to  in  inducing  them  to  begin  a  sub- 
scription? The  problems  here  raised  are  clearly  psy- 
chological and  subject  to  the  questionnaire  method, 
which  was  employed  in  investigating  them. 

A  carefully  selected  list  was  prepared  containing 
the  names  of  4,000  of  the  most  prominent  business 
and  professional  men  of  Chicago.  An  attempt  was 
made  to  include  what  could  fairly  be  said  to  be  the 
best  citizens  of  Chicago.  The  number  was  so  larg^e 
that  it  contained  a  fully  representative  group.  For 
the  purpose  of  comparison,  another  list  of  1,000 

227 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

names  was  prepared.  This  list  contained  the  names 
of  men  from  very  different  classes  of  society,  but  all, 
with  few  exceptions,  were  adult  men.  The  question- 
naire as  reproduced  herewith  was  mailed  to  the  5,000 
names  constituting  the  two  lists. 

I.  What  Chicago  daily  or  dailies  do  you  read? 

II.  Which  one  do  you  prefer  ? .  . : 

III.  State  in  order  the  five  features  of  your  paper  which  interest 

you  most.  (For  example,  politics,  society,  finance,  sport- 
ing, foreign  news,  local  news,  special  articles,  romance 
and  storiettes,  cartoons,  advertisements,  art,  music  and 
book  reviews,  moral  or  ethical  tone,  editorials,  brevity, 
accuracy,  etc.) 

i 

2 

3 

4 

5 

IV.  Do  you  spend  on  an  average  as  much  as  15  minutes  daily 

reading  a  Chicago  paper  ? 

V.  What  induced  you  to  begin  the  subscription  of  the  paper  or 
papers  which  you  are  now  taking? 

VI.  Were  you  ever  induced  by  means  of  a  premium  or  prize  to 
subscribe  for  a  Chicago  paper? If  so, 

did  you  resubscribe  for  the  same  paper  without  a  prem- 


ium 


Answers  to  these  questions  are  desired  from  the  selected  per- 
sons to  whom  they  are  mailed.  The  answers  are  needed  in 
solving  a  psychological  question  of  interest  and  may  be  placed 
in  the  stamped  envelope  enclosed  herewith  and  mailed  at  once. 
They  will  be  gratefully  received  by  the  sender. 
Yours  respectfully, 

WALTER  D.  SCOTT, 
Director   of  the   Psychological    Laboratory, 
Northwestern  University,  Evanston,  Illinois. 
228 


THE     QUESTIONNAIRE     METHOD 

Replies  were  received  from  about  2,300  of  the  rep- 
resentative business  and  professional  men.  The  re- 
plies from  the  1,000  are  disregarded 
Replies  in  the  present  chapter;  and  inasmuch 

Abundant  as  but  approximately  2,000  answered 
and  Valuable,  each  of  the  questions,  the  2,300  are 
hereafter  referred  to  as  "  the  2,000." 
Those  receiving  the  questionnaire  seemed  much  inter- 
ested in  the  research,  and  although  they  are  very  busy 
men,  the  answers  indicate  careful  deliberation  and  the 
utmost  sincerity.  Although  no  place  was  provided 
for  signatures,  a  good  proportion  signed  their  names 
to  the  paper  or  enclosed  a  personal,  signed  letter.  A 
large  number  of  the  slips  w^ere  carefully  keyed  and 
even  when  no  signature  was  attached  the  author  of  the 
replies  was  known.  In  all  the  slips  the  key  indicated 
at  least  to  which  one  of  the  numerous  groups  the  re- 
spondent belonged.  In  case  of  doubt  as  to  whether 
the  replies  were  filled  out  personally  by  the  man  to 
whom  the  questionnaire  was  sent,  they  were  rejected 
as  not  authentic.  No  proxies  were  desired. 

Over  fifty  per  cent,  of  those  receiving  the  ques- 
tionnaire took  pains  to  fill  out  the  blank.  This  pro- 
portion is  unusually  large  and  is  to  be  attributed  to 
several  causes.  A  stamped  return  envelope  was  en- 
closed. The  subject  under  investigation  w7as  person- 
ally interesting.  The  answers  were  sought  for  as  a 
means  of  "  solving  a  psychological  question,"  and 
psychology  is  very  popular  just  at  present.  The  in- 
vestigator, owing  to  his  university  connection,  wras 

229 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

assumed  to  be  honest  and  desirous  of  securing  only 
the  facts.  The  advertiser  might  have  great  difficult} 
in  selecting  a  group  of  persons  whose  answers  would 
be  significant  and  yet  who  would  be  willing  to  fill  out 
the  blanks.  Doubtless  in  many  cases  the  list  would 
have  to  be  confined  to  business  associates  or  to  per- 
sonal friends.  Haphazard,  voluntary  answers  re- 
ceived in  competition  for  a  prize  or  for  the  gaining  of 
a  paltry  reward  are  not  to  be  compared  in  value  to 
voluntary  replies  from  a  carefully  selected  list.  The 
difficulty  of  securing  trustworthy  replies  is  so  great 
that  the  advertiser  will  usually  be  compelled  to  have 
the  investigation  carried  on  by  a  disinterested  person, 
as  it  was  done  in  the  present  instance. 

Ordinarily  no  suggestions  should  be  made  as  to 
what  answer  is  expected.  If  any  suggestions  are 
made,  that  fact  should  never  be  forgotten  in  estimat- 
ing the  results.  In  the  questionnaire  reproduced  here- 
with, the  amount  of  space  left  for  answering  the  first 
question  suggested  that  the  names  of  but  one  or  two 
papers  were  to  be  written.  This  doubtless  affected 
the  results.  Also  in  connection  with  the  third  ques- 
tion a  series  of  answers  \vere  suggested.  The  num- 
ber of  suggestions  was  made  so  large  that  no  par- 
ticular one  would  have  much  more  effect  than  the 
others,  and  as  all  probable  answers  wrere  suggested  the 
results  were  certainly  not  greatly  changed  thereby. 

The  fact  that  each  individual  reads  or  scans  a  num- 
ber of  papers  daily  was  brought  out  clearly  by  the 
answers  to  the  first  question.  (I.  What  Chicago 

230 


THE     QUESTIONNAIRE     METHOD 

or  dailies  do  you  read?)      Eighty-six  per  cent. 

reported   themselves   as    reading  more 
Nunber   of     .  ,  ^, 

_  _      ,  than  a  single  paper.      I  he  space  in  the 

Papers   Read 

-p.   .,  questionnaire  lett  tor  writing  the  names 

of  the  papers  read  was  but  a  little  over 
one  inch  in  length.  In  spite  of  this  fact  the  respond- 
ents took  pains  to  write  in  a  number  of  papers.  As 
stated  above,  it  is  quite  probable  that  the  inadequate 
space  and,  in  some  cases,  the  haste  of  writing  the 
names  caused  an  understatement  of  the  actual  number 
of  papers  read.  As  reported,  the  figures  are  as  fol- 
lows : 

14%   read  but  one  paper 
46%   read  two  papers 
21%   read  three  papers 
10%   read  four  papers 
3%   read  live  papers 
2%   read  six  papers 
3%   read  all  the  papers  (8). 

Some  of  the  papers  taken  by  any  person  are  to  be 
regarded  as  subsidiary  and  as  commanding  but  little 
attention.  These  subsidiary  papers  contain  a  large 
part  of  the  advertisements  that  are  also  contained  in 
the  preferred  papers,  which  command  the  most  atten- 
tion. The  same  advertisement  seen  in  two  or  three 
papers  may  be  more  effective  than  if  seen  in  but  one; 
but  most  advertisers  are  convinced  that  it  is  not  worth 
three  times  as  much  to  have  an  advertisement  seen  in 
three  papers  as  it  is  to  have  it  seen  in  one.  The 

231 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

duplication  of  circulation  represents  a  loss.  If  the 
advertiser  could  pick  out  the  papers  that  command  the 
most  confidence  of  a  relatively  large  number  of  read- 
ers, he  could  afford  to  neglect  the  subsidiary  papers 
entirely. 

The  fourth  question  was,  IV.  Do  you  spend  on  an 
average  as  much  as  fifteen  minutes  daily  reading  a 

Chicago  daily? 

Time  Spent  A  decided  majority  seemed  to  con- 
in  Reading  sider  fifteen  minutes  a  fair  estimate  of 
Daily  Papers,  the  time  spent  in  reading  the  daily  pa- 
pers. Four  per  cent,  answered  that 
they  spent  less  than  fifteen  minutes  daily.  Twenty- 
five  per  cent,  reported  a  greater  amount  of  time.  A 
few  reported  as  much  as  two  hours,  but  "  just  about 
fifteen  minutes  "  was  by  far  the  most  common  answer. 
The  writers  were  frequently  careful  to  state  that  this 
fifteen  minutes  was  the  total  time  spent  in  reading  all 
the  papers  and  not  the  amount  spent  in  reading  each 
of  the  several  papers  read.  Considering  together  the 
total  number  of  papers  read  and  the  total  amount  of 
time  spent  in  reading  them,  we  reach  the  conclusion 
that  a  very  decided  majority  of  these  representative 
business  and  professional  men  spend  but  approximately 
from  five  to  ten  minutes  reading  any  particular  paper. 
These  few  minutes  admit  of  but  the  most  cursory 
reading.  A  favorite  program,  as  reported,  is  the 
reading  of  the  head  lines,  the  table  of  contents,  the 
weather  reports,  etc.  Then  if  time  admits  or  if  any- 
thing especially  interesting  is  discovered,  attention 

232 


THE     QUESTIONNAIRE     METHOD 

may  be  turned  for  a  few  seconds  or  minutes  to  a  more, 
leisurely  reading  of  the  articles  discovered  in  the  pre- 
liminary search. 

The  papers  are  glanced  through  so  hurriedly  that 
an  advertisement,  in  order  to  be  seen  at  all,  unless 
sought  for,  must  be  striking  in  appearance  and  must 
announce  something  in  which  the  reader  is  particu- 
larly interested.  Advertisements  may  be  divided  into 
two  groups :  classified  and  display  advertisements. 
The  classified  are  read  only  by  those  who  search  for 
them.  The  display  advertisements  are  glanced  at  by 
a  very  large  number  of  persons  who  pick  up  the  paper. 
The  advertisement  must  tell  its  story  quickly  if  at  all. 
If  the  message  which  it  is  capable  of  imparting  to 
those  who  glance  at  it  is  inviting,  the  advertisement 
may  be  selected  and  read  from  beginning  to  end. 
The  advertiser  should  attempt,  however,  to  construct 
his  advertisement  so  that  a  single  glance  at  it  may 
be  effective  in  imparting  information  and  in  making 
an  impression  even  though  the  advertisement  is  not  to 
be  under  observation  for  more  than  a  few  seconds. 

A  majority  of  the  respondents  answered  the  second 
question,  naming  the  preferred  paper.  (II.  Which 

one  do  vou  prefer?)     A  very  respec- 
Preferences  .       .       .  / 

r  T  j-  -j  i  table  minority,  however,  confessed  that 
for  Individual 

Papers  y  no    Pre^erence-     Many    an- 

swered that  one  paper  was  preferred 
for  general  news,  another  for  cartoons,  another  for 
special  articles,  another  for  moral  tone,  etc.  Others 
refused  to  go  on  record  as  preferring  any  paper  and 

233 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

so  expressed  themselves  by  saying  that  one  paper  was 
"  less  objectionable,"  "  less  yellow,"  "  less  venal,"  etc., 
than  the  others.  Particular  groups  of  men  displayed 
considerable  uniformity  in  their  preference  for  a  sin- 
gle paper;  e.g.,  the  one  hundred  professional  men 
connected  with  one  educational  institution  preferred 
one  paper ;  the  business  men  who  were  members  of  an 
athletic  club  showed  a  decided  preference  for  another 
paper;  the  business  and  professional  men  who  were 
members  of  one  of  the  most  prominent  clubs  preferred 
with  equal  uniformity  still  a  different  paper. 

The  circulation  of  the  evening  papers  in  Chicago  is 
greater  than  that  of  the  morning  papers,  and  it  is 
probable  that  they  are  preferred  in  more  cases  than 
are  the  morning  papers.  For  business  and  profes- 
sional men  the  reverse  is  true ;  among  them  the  morn- 
ing papers  are  read  in  larger  numbers  and  are  pre- 
ferred in  more  instances  than  the  evening  papers. 
With  these  men  the  evening  papers  are  often  to  be 
regarded  merely  as  subsidiary.  The  laboring  classes 
have  no  time  to  read  a  morning  paper,  but  after  the 
day's  work  is  over  the  evening  paper  is  read  and  doubt- 
less much  more  than  fifteen  minutes  is  devoted  to  it. 
Many  business  and  professional  men  prefer  evening 
papers  and  many  laboring  men  prefer  the  morning 
papers,  but  such  instances  are  exceptions  rather  than 
the  rule. 

A  majority  of  business  and  professional  men  fail  to 
see  advertisements  appearing  in  evening  papers  and 
are  not  greatly  affected  by  those  that  they  do  see. 

234 


THE     QUESTIONNAIRE     METHOD 

Likewise,  probably  a  majority  of  the  laboring  class  is 
unaffected  by  advertisements  appearing  in  the  morning 
papers.  If  these  statements  did  not  have  so  many 
exceptions  the  advertiser's  task  would  be  compara- 
tively simple  when  it  comes  to  choosing  a  medium  for 
any  particular  advertisement.  If  he  wanted  to  reach 
the  better  classes,  he  would  use  the  morning  papers; 
if  he  wanted  to  reach  the  laboring  class,  he  would 
employ  the  evening  papers. 

The  replies  from  the  2,000  showed  somewhat  of  a 
uniformity  in  their  selection  of  a  preferred  paper,  but 
the  most  surprising  thing  was  the  lack  of  uniformity. 
This  particular  group  could  not  be  reached  by  using 
anything  less  than  all  the  papers.  Perhaps  one-half 
of  them  could  be  reached  by  a  single  paper,  three- 
fourths  by  two  papers  and  over  nine-tenths  of  all  by 
using  half  the  papers. 

The  chief  interest  in  the  investigation  centers  in  the 
answers  to  the  third  question.  (III.  State  in  order 

the   five   features   of  your   paper  that 
The   Most 

interest  you  most.) 
Interesting          ^ 

,,  To  reduce  the  answers  to  some  sort 

Features  of  a 

Daily  Paper  °*  a  cornPrenensi'iDle  unit,  the  follow- 
ing plan  was  adopted.  A  feature  that 
was  mentioned  as  first  choice  was  credited  with  five 
points;  one  mentioned  as  second  choice,  four  points; 
one  mentioned  as  third  choice,  three  points;  one  men- 
tioned as  fourth  choice,  two  points;  one  mentioned  as 
fifth  choice,  one  point.  The  sum  of  all  these  points 
was  arbitrarily  assumed  to  represent  the  sum  total  of 

235 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

interest.  It  was  then  found  what  per  cent,  of  this  total 
interest  had  been  credited  to  politics,  editorials  and  all 
other  features  mentioned  by  any  of  the  respondents. 
As  thus  found,  the  total  result  for  all  papers  and  all 
respondents  is  as  follows: 

PER    CENT. 

Local   news 17.8 

Political  news 15.8 

Financial  news 1 1.3 

Foreign   news 9.5 

Editorials- 9. 

General   news 7.2 

Ethical  tone 

(broadly  considered) 6.7 

Sporting   news 5.8 

Cartoons    4.3 

Special  article 4.3 

Music   1.88 

Book   reviews 1.84 

Arrangement 1.4 

Society  notes 1.4 

Drama    i.i 

Art    9 

Advertisements 44 

Storiettes    13 

Weather i 

Humor    05 

Inasmuch   as   these   figures   represent   the   distribu- 
tion as  found  for  all  the  papers  combined,  it  would, 

236 


THE     QUESTIONNAIRE     METHOD 

of  course,  be  anticipated  that  the  same  order  would 
not  hold  exactly  for  any  individual  paper.  In  most 
particulars  there  is  a  pronounced  similarity  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  interest  in  the  different  papers.  This  is 
true,  for  instance,  in  the  case  of  local  news.  In  one 
paper  it  monopolizes  19.5%  of  the  interest  and  in  the 
others  iS.8%,  18.3%,  17.6%,  14.9'^,  13.856,  12.8%, 
and  12.1%  respectively.  In  some  features  the  di- 
versity between  papers  is  very  great.  Thus  in  one 
paper  19  per  cent,  of  the  interest  is  in  sporting  news, 
in  another  but  2  per  cent.  In  one  paper  19.7  per 
cent,  of  the  interest  is  in  financial  news,  in  another 
but  6.9  per  cent.  These  last  illustrations  from  sport- 
ing news  and  finance  are  exceptional  instances,  and 
even  in  these  the  extremes  are  found  in  the  papers  that 
were  least  often  mentioned  as  the  preferred  papers. 
For  all  the  papers  and  for  all  the  different  groups  into 
which  the  business  and  professional  men  were  'divide,! 
the  striking  fact  was  the  uniformity  of  interests. 
Features  that  were  interesting  to  any  group  in  any 
paper  were  usually  found  to  be  interesting  in  all  the 
papers  and  to  all  the  groups.  The  features  that  were 
most  uniformly  interesting  were  the  news  items, 
which  possessed  over  75  per  cent,  of  the  total  interest. 
All  other  features  were  low  in  interest  with  most  of 
the  groups  and  in  most  of  the  papers.  As  is  indi- 
cated in  the  tabulation  above,  advertisements  did  not 
seem  to  attract  much  attention. 

These  results  make  it  clear  that  the  Chicago  dailies 
are  valued  as  NEWS  papers  and  as  little  else.     Local 

237 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

news,  general  news,  foreign  news,  financial  news,  po- 
litical news  and  sporting  news  —  these  monopolize  the 
interest  of  business  and  professional  men.  Editorials, 
storiettes,  book  reviews,  art,  music,  drama,  society  - 
all  these  combined  do  not  possess  so  much  interest  as 
local  news  alone.  Everyone  seemed  interested  in  news, 
and  when  cartoons  and  editorials  were  mentioned  the 
writers  were  frequently  careful  to  add  that  they  were 
interested  in  these  because  they  were  a  summary  or 
index  of  some  important  news. 

Advertisements  aiming  to  secure  new  subscribers  to 
a  newspaper  should  give  most  importance  to  the  de- 
scription of  the  news  service  of  that  particular  paper. 
Other  features  might  be  mentioned,  but  the  uniform- 
ity with  which  all  groups  expressed  their  interest  in 
the  news  in  each  of  the  papers  makes  it  quite  certain 
that  here  we  have  the  vital  feature  of  the  newspaper 
and  tHat  which  gives  it  its  name. 

The  third  question  should  be  considered  in  connec- 
tion with  the  fifth.  (V.  What  induced  you  to  begin 
the  subscription  of  the  paper  or  papers  which  you  are 

now    taking?)      Immediately     follow- 
Motives  for  ,  £   .       .  .    . 

_     .     .  ing  the  statement  of  the  third  question, 

Beginning  a  . 

Subscription.   as   Pnntecl   m   the   questionaire,   sug- 

gestive  answers  were  presented.  This 
list  of  examples  acted  as  a  constant  suggestion  and 
made  it  more  likely  that  the  answers  cited  would  be 
given  than  any  original  ones.  No  such  suggestions 
were  added  to  the  statement  of  the  fifth  question  and 
hence  answers  to  this  latter  question  are  more  reliable. 

238 


THE     QUESTIONNAIRE     METHOD 

\Yhile  it  resulted  in  the  presentation  of  many  differ- 
ent answers,  still  the  uniformity  with  which  the  news 
items  were  mentioned  —  observed  in  the  answers  to 
the  third  question  —  is  even  greater  here. 

Of  all  the  motives  that  could  be  classified  the  fol- 
lowing show  what  per  cent,  of  the  total  number  of 
times  each  motive  was  mentioned : 

To  keep  informed  concerning  current  events..  65% 

Ethical  tone  (including  accuracy,  etc.) 10% 

Premiums    4% 

Cartoons    4% 

Special   articles    3% 

Reputation  of  paper    i% 

Service  (best  delivery)    I  % 

All  other  motives  (about  twenty  in  number)  re- 
ceived scattering  mention. 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  sixty-five  per  cent,  of  the 
business  and  professional  men  united  in  stating  that 
the  motive  in  first  subscribing  to  their  chosen  papers 
was  the  desire  to  keep  informed  concerning  current 
events.  The  following  expressions  were  frequently 
used  and  are  most  suggestive :  "  to  keep  in  touch  with 
current  events,"  "  desire  to  be  informed,"  "to  be  in- 
formed as  to  what  is  going  on,"  "  to  be  up  to  the  times 
and  not  a  back  number,"  "  to  be  en  rapport  with  the 
world." 

In  comparison  with  this  desire  for  news  of  current 
events  all  other  motives  seem  insignificant.  News 

23Q 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

service  is  the  desideratum.  If  a  choice  is  to  be  made 
between  papers  equally  good  in  news  service,  then 
premiums  and  cartoons  or  even  editorials  and  storiettes 
may  become  the  deciding  factor. 

In  waging  a  campaign  to  increase  the  circulation 
of  newspapers  the  fact  should  be  constantly  before 
the  advertiser's  mind  that  people  are  interested  pri- 
marily in  the  news.  A  description  of  the  methods 
used  by  any  great  paper  to  secure  the  news  would  be  a 
most  powerful  argument  for  securing  new  subscrib- 
ers. A  presentation  of  all  the  means  employed  to 
avoid  mistakes,  and  hence  to  present  the  news  accu- 
rately, would  furnish  a  theme  for  further  advertise- 
ments. A  truly  educational  campaign  carried  on  in 
the  interests  of  the  two  themes  —  completeness  of 
news  service  and  care  to  present  the  truth  —  would 
increase  the  circulation  of  any  of  the  better  metropoli- 
tan dailies. 

The  questionnaire  invited  no  criticisms  of  daily  pa- 
pers and  yet  many  of  these  business  and  professional 
men  volunteered  criticisms  which  they 
Criticism  of  inserted  on  the  sheets  of  questions  or 
Daily  Papers,  else  wrote  them  in  personal  letters  that 
were  enclosed.  There  are  but  few 
criticisms  of  the  less  important  features  of  the  papers. 
There  are  almost  no  criticisms  of  the  storiettes,  the 
society  notes,  the  book  reviews,  the  funny  columns, 
etc.  All  these  seem  to  be  as  good  as  desired ;  nor 
does  the  reader  express  himself  as  aggrieved  by  the 
poor  quality  or  even  by  the  absence  of  any  of  them. 

240 


THE     QUESTIONNAIRE     METHOD 

In  the  main  the  criticism  centered  about  the  news 
service,  the  editorials  and  the  general  lack  of  integrity 
of  the  papers.  There  was  no  criticism  of  the  news- 
papers for  failure  to  know  the  facts;  they  were  criti- 
cized rather  for  the  failure  to  present  an  unbiased  re- 
port. The  same  sort  of  criticism  is  made  of  the  edi- 
torial columns.  The  editor  is  believed  to  be  unduly 
influenced  by  the  business  manager.  The  phrase, 
"  the  potent  censorship  of  Big  Business/'  or  some  anal- 
ogous expression,  occurred  so  often  that  it  seemed  to 
express  a  general  lack  of  confidence. 

The  present  research  was  not  devised  to  ascertain 
the  degree  of  confidence  in  newspapers,  and  one  would 
not  be  justified  in  asserting  that  the  lack  of  confidence 
is  general  unless  other  grounds  for  the  statement  were 
at  hand. 

The  newspaper  that  would  be  preferred  by  the  rep- 
resentative business  and  professional  men  might  not 
be  popular  with  other  classes  of  society. 

The  Ideal     Judging  from  the  answers  of  2,000  men 

Newspaper,  the  conviction  is  forced  upon  one 
that  they  do  not  care  to  have  a  news- 
paper serve  as  interpreter,  defender  or  advocate  of 
the  truth.  All  that  is  desired  is  a  brief  but  compre- 
hensive publication  of  the  news.  That  editor  will  be 
the  most  appreciated  who  selects  the  news  most  wisely 
and  presents  the  unvarnished  truth  in  all  matters  in 
which  the  constituency  are  interested.  Some  persons 
have  no  interest  in  the  sporting  pages;  others  never 
admit  reading  crimes  and 'casualties.  Individual  in- 

241 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

terests  are  so  varied  that  no  paper  can  expect  general 
circulation  without  criticism  from  many  readers  be- 
cause of  the  events  emphasized  in  news  gathering. 
However,  the  readers  do  not  complain  generally  be- 
cause of  the  presence  of  pages  of  material  that  they 
never  read.  The  man  who  is  not  interested  in 
finance,  sports,  etc.,  does  not  complain  because  of  the 
presence  of  these  things.  He  does  complain  because 
in  place  of  a  short  and  accurate  account  of  things  in- 
teresting to  him,  he  finds  long  and  inaccurate  accounts 
of  them.  The  ideal  paper  would  have  to  do  only 
with  facts.  The  news  would  have  to  be  well  writ- 
ten, but  the  interest  would  be  mainly  in  the  news  it- 
self and  not  in  the  reporter's  or  the  publisher's  views 
concerning  it. 

There  are  many  persons  who  read  neither  books  nor 
monthly  and  weekly  magazines.  For  them  the  daily 
newspaper  must  supply  the  place  of  all  these.  The 
storiette  is  their  only  literature.  The  editor  and  the 
reporter  must  interpret  the  daily  events.  The  un- 
biased presentation  of  these  daily  events  would  not  be 
adequate.  For  the  business  and  professional  man  the 
circumstances  are  different.  All  of  the  2,000  business 
and  professional  men  answering  my  questionaire  read 
much  besides  the  daily  papers.  Their  literary  enter- 
tainment is  found  in  books  and  magazines. 

The  whole  reading  world  desires  to  secure  pleasure 
from  literature,  to  read  articles  which  champion  its 
rights  and  to  follow  some  great  leader  in  interpreting 
current  events.  That  all  these  functions  are  per- 

242 


THE     QUESTIONNAIRE     METHOD 

formed  in  many  instances  by  the  daily  press  can  not  be 
doubted.  That  the  better  class  of  society  has  passed 
beyond  this  condition  is  likewise  apparent.  The  re- 
sults as  presented  above  make  it  quite  evident  that  for 
the  vast  majority  the  daily  paper  is  merely  a  nc^s 
paper.  For  this  class  the  ideal  paper  would  be  the 
one  that  serves  this  interest  most  perfectly.  Cartoons 
would  find  a  place  in  such  papers  but  they  would  not 
be  the  same  sort  of  cartoons  that  appear  in  the  monthly 
comic  papers.  Editorials  would  find  a  place  but  they 
would  be  in  the  main  concise  statements  concerning 
important  events.  Special  articles  would  be  in  place 
in  such  a  paper  but  they  would  deal  in  the  main  with 
current  events.  The  ideal  daily  would  put  its  em- 
phasis on  the  field  that  is  not  covered  by  the  weeklies 
and  monthlies.  It  would  also  present  the  events  of 
the  day  in  such  form  that  they  could  be  read  in  fif- 
teen minutes;  for  the  busy  man  does  not  devote  more 
than  that  time  to  any  daily  paper. 

The  question  which  the  advertiser  is  sure  to  raise  in 

this  connection  is,  What  sort  of  advertisements  could 

be  valuable  in  what  might  be  an  ideal 

The   News-    paper  for  the  so-called  better  classes? 

paper   as   an    If  the  ideal  paper  is  fully  differentiated 

Advertising  from  the  weeklies  and  monthlies  in  its 
Medium.  «  literary  departments,"  has  it  not  sur- 
rendered to  them  also  the  field  of  ad- 
vertising except  for  the  announcement  of  local  sales 
and  other  similar  events?  Has  it  not  ceased  to  be  a 
competitor  for  national  advertising?  This  con- 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

elusion  does  not  follow ;  for  the  ideal  newspaper, 
which  had  the  full  confidence  of  its  readers,  would 
be  a  powerful  medium  for  all  classes  of  advertise- 
ments. Success  in  advertising  is  based  on  confidence, 
and  one  reason  why  advertising  rates  are  higher  in 
weeklies  and  monthlies  for  a  proportionate  amount 
of  circulation  is  the  fact  that  at  the  present  time  people 
have  more  confidence  in  these  than  in  the  dailies. 

Potential  customers  are  not  coldly  logical  and  an- 
alytic in  estimating  commodities.  An  advertisement 
seen  on  garbage  boxes  may  be  a  good  advertisement 
and  may  announce  real  bargains  but  it  possesses  little 
influence.  The  same  advertisement  seen  in  a  cher- 
ished household  publication  carries  all  the  respect  and 
trust  that  has  been  created  by  the  other  departments 
of  the  publication.  We  do  not  appreciate  even  good 
food  if  served  upon  dirty  dishes.  We  are  not  in- 
fluenced even  by  a  good  advertisement  appearing  in 
daily  papers  if  they  seem  to  us  to  be  in  any  way  un- 
reliable. 

The  present  research  was  not  undertaken  to  dis- 
cover the  value  of  newspapers  as  advertising  media 
for  the  better  class  of  society,  but  to  ascertain  which 
motives  would  appeal  most  profoundly  to  this  class  of 
society  in  inducing  them  to  subscribe  for  newspapers. 
Incidentally  the  fact  is  revealed  that  the  newspapers 
do  not  have  the  confidence  of  many  of  this  particular 
class  of  society.  If  later  researches  discover  the  fact 
that  the  lack  of  confidence  is  general  with  this  class  of 
society,  the  results  may  be  disquieting  to  the  publish- 

244 


THE    QUESTIONNAIRE     METHOD 

ers,  but  it  will  result  in  the  production  of  some  news- 
papers which  conform  to  the  demands  of  this  great 
and  influential  body  of  citizens.  The  sensational 
newspaper  may  possess  the  confidence  of  the  lower 
classes  of  society  and  hence  be  a  good  advertising 
medium  for  reaching  that  class.  Unless  the  news- 
papers are  a  valuable  medium  with  the  better  classes, 
they  are  not  serviceable  for  many  of  the  most  influ- 
ential advertisers.  The  hope  for  relief  from  sensa- 
tional journalism  is  to  be  found  only  in  the  discovery 
of  the  fact  that  a  very  influential  class  of  business  and 
professional  men  cannot  be  influenced  by  advertise- 
ments appearing  in  sensational  publications.  That 
this  hope  will  be  realized  may  be  confidently  antici- 
pated if  we  may  judge  from  the  similar  results  which 
have  been  brought  about  of  recent  years  in  our  best 
weeklies  and  monthlies.  A  few  years  ago  all  these 
publications  contained  advertisements  of  patent  medi- 
cines, questionable  financial  schemes,  etc.  Many 
readers  were  interested  in  these  advertisements  and 
the  space  was  well  paid  for.  The  significant  fact  was 
discovered,  however,  that  more  advertising  space  could 
be  sold  in  high  grade  magazines  that  did  not  accept 
such  advertisements.  The  space  in  the  cleaner  publi- 
cations was  worth  more  simply  because  such  publica- 
tions secured  the  confidence  of  the  class  of  society  that 
had  the  money  necessary  to  purchase  the  advertised 
goods. 

The  value  of  a  publication  as  an  advertising  medium 
is  in  a  large  degree  determined  by  the  particular  class 

245 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

of  citizens  whose  confidence  it  possesses.  This  is 
shown  in  monthlies,  weeklies  and  dailies.  For  in- 
stance, for  every  thousand  of  circulation  the  advertis- 
ing space  in  the  Century  Magazine  is  worth  178  per 
cent,  more  than  that  in  the  Popular  Magazine;  and 
likewise,  space  in  Collier's  Weekly  sells  for  233  per 
cent,  more  than  space  in  Hearst's  Sunday  Magazine. 
The  Chicago  evening  papers  are  not  able  to  secure  so 
much  for  advertising  space  as  the  morning  papers,  cir- 
culation considered.  The  results  of  the  investigation 
concerning  the  opinions  of  the  2,000  Chicago  business 
and  professional  men  show  that  the  Chicago  paper 
which  was  most  often  preferred  in  proportion  to  its 
total  circulation  is  the  paper  that  secures,  in  proportion 
to  circulation,  a  larger  price  than  any  of  the  others 
for  its  advertising  space.  That  paper  which  was  the 
least  often  preferred  is  the  one  which  is  compelled  to 
sell  its  advertising  space  the  cheapest,  circulation  be- 
ing considered  in  both  particulars. 

It  will  not  be  necessary  for  the  better  classes  of  so- 
ciety to  boycott  the  firms  advertising  in  the  sensational 
newspapers  —  although  such  action  might  hasten  the 
day  of  relief.  If  a  large  proportion  of  the  better 
classes  of  society  lack  confidence  in  newspapers,  then 
these  publications  are  not  so  valuable  as  advertising 
media  as  they  might  be.  Sooner  or  later  the  publish- 
ers will  find  out  the  facts.  Newspapers  are  sure  to  con- 
form to  the  demands  of  the  people  because  any  other 
policy  would  be  suicidal  on  the  part  of  the  publishers. 
Probably  from  fifty  to  ninety  per  cent,  of  the  total 

246 


THE     QUESTIONNAIRE     METHOD 

income  from  any  newspaper  is  derived  from  its  adver- 
tising pages.  Anything  which  makes  these  pages 
valuable  will  be  diligently  sought  for  even  though 
the  policy  adopted  may  reduce  the  total  subscription 
list. 

In  all  the  answers  received  from  business  and  pro- 
fessional men  there  was  no  expression  of  a  hope  that 
the  newspapers  would  ever  be  better  than  at  present. 
The  sentiment  seemed  to  be  common  that  they  were 
getting  worse.  Two  facts,  however,  render  this  pessi- 
mistic conclusion  at  least  uncertain  if  not  improbable. 
The  first  fact  is  that  the  newspapers  are  primarily 
dependent  for  their  life  upon  the  income  from  their 
advertising.  The  second  fact  is  that  the  value  of 
these  pages  is  largely  determined  by  the  confidence 
which  the  public  has  in  the  paper  as  a  whole ;  for  lack 
of  confidence  in  one  part  is  unconsciously  extended 
to  all  parts.  The  better  American  metropolitan  daily 
is  a  wonderful  embodiment  of  enterprise.  If  it  would 
be  strengthened  as  an  advertising  medium  by  an  in- 
creased confidence  on  the  part  of  the  better  classes  of 
society,  it  is  quite  certain  that  the  publishers  will  be 
equal  to  the  emergency  and  will  produce  a  paper  that 
meets  the  enlightened  and  cultured  demands. 

The  questionnaire  method  is  available  in  securing 
data  valuable  in  planning  an  advertising  campaign. 

~       .     .          If  the  questions  asked  are  reasonable 
Conclusion. 

and  interesting  and  if  the  motives  of 

the  person  carrying  on  the  research  are  not  questioned, 

247 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

a  large  proportion  of  business  and  professional  men 
will  fill  out  the  blank. 

Most  business  and  professional  men  read  more  than 
one  daily  and  hence  may  be  reached  by  an  advertise- 
ment even  though  it  is  not  inserted  in  all  the  papers. 
Advertisements  inserted  both  in  the  best  and  also  in 
the  poorer  papers  are  largely  lost  in  the  latter  because 
of  duplication  of  circulation. 

Most  business  and  professional  men  spend  about 
fifteen  minutes  daily  reading  papers.  The  amount  of 
time  spent  in  reading  advertisements  must  be  very 
small.  Hence  advertisements  should  be  so  con- 
structed that  they  will  carry  their  message  at  a  single 
glance. 

Business  and  professional  men  subscribe  for  dailies 
because  of  the  desire  for  news.  Prizes,  editorials, 
storiettes,  etc.,  are  of  secondary  importance  in  induc- 
ing these  men  to  subscribe  for  any  particular  paper. 

These  business  and  professional  men  lacked  confi- 
dence in  their  preferred  daily  papers.  Hence  adver- 
tisements seen  in  such  publications  do  not  have  the 
greatest  possible  influence.  The  newspaper  is,  from 
the  publisher's  point  of  view,  primarily  an  advertising 
medium  and  can  attain  its  maximum  value  only  when 
it  secures  the  full  confidence  of  its  readers.  This  fact 
may  lead  to  an  improvement  in  the  ethical  standards 
of  our  daily  papers. 


248 


XVII 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 


The  literature  upon  the  subject  of  advertising  is  not 
as  good  as  we  might  wish,  but  it  is  too  important  to 
be  neglected  by  anyone  interested  in  business  promo- 
tion. The  books  and  magazines  cited  in  the  follow- 
ing lists  have  been  carefully  selected,  and  although 
some  of  them  are  of  relatively  minor  significance,  a 
familiarity  with  them  is  well  worth  the  while  of  all 
vitally  concerned  with  the  science  or  the  art  of  adver- 
tising. 

THE  FOLLOWING  IS  A  SELECTED  LIST  OF  THE 
BEST  BOOKS  IN  ENGLISH  UPON  THE  SUBJECT  OF 
ADVERTISING. 

AMERICAN  PRINTER. 

THE  AMERICAN  MANUAL  OF  TYPOGRAPHY.  The  Oswald  Pub- 
lishing Co.,  New  York,  1905,  pp.  105,  $4.00.  An  exhaustive 
exposition  of  the  various  phases  of  type-composition.  This 
volume  is  prepared  by  a  number  of  experts  and  represents 
the  best  in  typography. 

BAKER,  WILLIAM  H. 

ADVERTISING       PHRASES.      Chicago,       1001 ',      pp.       50.       (Gist-of- 

Things-Library,  vol.  3.) 
BALMER,  THOMAS. 

SOME    SUNKEN    ROCKS     IN     ADVERTISING.      Butterick     Co.,    New 

York,  1906,  pp.  26. 

BATES,  CHARLES  AUSTIN. 

THE  ART  AND  LITERATURE  OF  BUSINESS.  Bates  Advertising  Co., 
New  York,  1902,  6  volumes,  pp.  2221,  $25.00.     The  work  con- 
249 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

tains  no  table  of  contents  and  the  index  fills  the  entire  sixth 
volume  of  324  pages.  The  work  is  intended  to  be  an  en- 
cyclopedia of  advertising  although  this  is  not  made  clear  by 
the  title.  It  is  in  the  main  a  most  creditable  production  and 
in  spite  of  minor  deficiencies  should  be  a  part  of  every 
advertiser's  library. 

BATES,  CHARLES  AUSTIN. 

GOOD  ADVERTISING.  Holmes  Publishing  Co.,  New  York,  1896, 
Pt>-  599>  $5-00.  The  book  contains  over  one  hundred  chap- 
ters and  may  almost  be  spoken  of  as  an  encyclopedia  of 
advertising. 

BIRD,  THOMAS  ALEXANDER. 

SALES  PLANS.  The  Merchants'  Record  Co.,  Chicago,  1906, 
pp.  282,  $2.50.  A  book  filled  with  schemes  for  increasing 
business.  A  collection  of  three  hundred  and  thirty-three 
successful  ways  of  getting  business,  including  a  great  va- 
riety of  practical  plans  that  have  been  used  by  retail  mer- 
chants to  advertise  and  sell  goods. 

CALKINS,  ERNEST  ELMO  AND  HOLDEN,  RALPH. 

MODERN  ADVERTISING.  D.  Appleton.  &  Co.,  New  York,  1905, 
pp.  361,  $1.50.  This  is  one  of  the  best  books  on  advertising 
and  contains  the  following  chapters :  Definition  of  Adver- 
tising; History  of  Advertising;  Channels  of  Trade;  Maga- 
zines and  Newspapers;  Mural  Advertising;  The  General 
Advertiser;  The  Advertising  Manager;  The  General  Ad- 
vertising Agency;  Retail  Advertising;  Mail-Order  Adver- 
tising; The  Mathematics  of  Advertising;  Styles  of  Adver- 
tising; Some  Mechanical  Details. 

CASTAREDE,  L.  DE. 

MONEY-MAKING  BY  AD-WRITING.  Neuman  and  Castarede. 
London,  1905,  pp.  $67,  zos,  6d.  This  book  is  intended  for  be- 
ginners in  advertising  and  contains  the  following  chapters: 
Composition  and  Style  in  Writing  Advertisements;  Tech- 
nical Proof  and  Press  Corrections;  Block  Type;  Illustra- 
tions; Small  Advertisements;  Newspaper  Advertising; 
Magazine  Advertising;  Circularising;  Ratio  of  Advertising 
250 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


to  Returns;  Poster  Advertising;  How  to  "Key"  Advertise- 
ments; The  Psychology  of  Advertising;  also  several  other 
chapters  of  less  importance.  The  author  makes  much  use 
of  the  American  contributions  to  the  literature  of  advertis- 
ing. This  is  especially  apparent  in  the  chapter  on  The 
Psychology  of  Advertising  which  consists  almost  entirely 
of  quotations  from  The  Theory  of  Advertising,  by  Scott, 
though  no  mention  of  this  fact  is  made  by  the  author. 

DEWEESE,  TRAUMAN  A. 

THE     PRINCIPLES      OF     PRACTICAL      PUBLICITY.      The     MattheiL-S- 

Northrup  Works,  Buffalo,  1906,  pp.  244.  A  treatise  on  the 
art  of  advertising.  Sold  only  as  a  part  of  Business  Man's 
Library,  System  Co.,  Chicago.  The  following  are  the  chap- 
ter titles :  Modern  Commercial  Publicity ;  What  is  Adver- 
tising? Mediums  Employed  by  General  and  Direct  Pub- 
licity; What  is  Good  Advertising  Copy?  The  Bull's-eye 
Method  in  Advertising;  "Reason-Why  Copy;"  The  Maga- 
zine and  the  Newspaper;  Relative  Values  of  Magazine 
Pages;  Mail-Order  Advertising;  Follow-up  Systems;  The 
Booklet  in  Mail-Order  Advertising;  "Keying"  Mail-Order 
Advertisements;  Bank  Advertising;  Street  Car  Advertis- 
ing; Railway  and  Steamship  Advertising;  Outdoor  Adver- 
tising; Planning  an  Advertising  Campaign;  The  Advertising 
Agency.  This  is  one  of  the  best  books  on  the  subject  of 
advertising. 

FARRINGTON,  FRANK. 

RETAIL  ADVERTISING  FOR  DRUGGISTS  AND  STATIONERS.        The  Baker 

&  Taylor  Co.,  New  York,  1901,  pp.  244,  $1.00.  Chatty,  in- 
teresting and  instructive.  Contains  the  following  chapters : 
Excuse;  In  a  General  Way;  Newspaper  Advertising;  Cir- 
cular Advertising;  Window  Display;  Odds  and  Ends;  Store 
Management;  One  Hundred  Sample  Ads. 

FOWLER,  NATHANIEL  C. 

ABOUT    ADVERTISING   AND    PRINTING.       S.     Barta    &    Co.,   Boston, 

1889,  pp.  160,  $2.00.  This  volume  treats  of  the  same  general 
subjects  as  the  author's  encyclopedia.  This  later  book  is, 
however,  more  adequate  and  is  the  product  of  later  years. 

251 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

FOWLER,  NATHANIEL  C. 

BUILDING  BUSINESS.  The  Trade  Co.,  Boston,  1893,  pp.  518, 
$4.50.  This  book  covers  in  part  the  material  which  is  more 
adequately  treated  in  the  author's  later  volume,  (below) 

FOWLER,  NATHANIEL  C. 

FOWLER'S  PUBLICITY.  Publicity  Publishing  Co.,  Boston,  1889, 
Q.  pp.  1016,  $15.00.  An  encyclopedia  of  advertising,  print- 
ing and  all  that  pertains  to  the  Public-Seeing  Side  of  Busi- 
ness. Out  of  print,  to  be  had  only  at  second  hand.  The 
most  pretentious  and  complete  work  on  advertising. 

GALE,   HARLOW. 

ON  THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  ADVERTISING.  Published  by  the  au- 
thor, Minneapolis,  Minn.,  1000,  pp.  32,  $0.75.  The  author  of 
this  pamphlet  seems  to  have  been  the  first  to  apply  experi- 
mental methods  to  the  subject. 

HENDERSON,  R. 

HENDERSON'S  SIGN  PAINTER.  Published  by  the  author,  New- 
ark, N.  /.,  1906,  pp.  112,  $3.00.  A  compilation  of  the  very 
best  creations  from  the  very  best  artists  in  their  specialties, 
embracing  all  the  standard  alphabets ;  also  all  the  modern 
and  fashionable  styles  of  the  times.  The  book  contains 
nothing  more  than  the  title  indicates.  The  price  is  ex- 
cessive. 

INTERNATIONAL  CORRESPONDENCE  SCHOOLS. 

RETAIL  ADVERTISING.  International  Textbook  Co.,  Scranton, 
Penn.,  1905,  two  volumes,  each  of  over  400  pages,  $4.00  per 
volume,  but  not  to  be  had  except  in  sets  of  5  volumes.  The 
following  are  the  chapter  heads :  Copy  and  Proof ;  Sup- 
plementary Advertising;  Retail  Advertising  Management; 
Conducting  an  Advertising  Office ;  Department  Store  Ad- 
vertising; Advertisement  Illustration;  Advertisement  Con- 
struction ;  Principles  of  Display ;  Illustrations  in  Newspaper 
Advertisements;  Engraving  Process;  Advertisements  for 
Various  Businesses;  Cyclopedia  of  Retail  Advertisements 
and  Selling  Points;  Printing-House  Methods;  Exhibit  of 
252 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Advertising  Types  and  Borders.  Each  chapter  is  written  by 
an  expert.  Chapters  are  being  added  from  time  to  time 
and  the  whole  "  course "  bids  fair  to  be  the  best  encyclo- 
pedia of  advertising. 

INTERNATIONAL  CORRESPONDENCE  SCHOOL. 

LETTERING  AND  SIGN  PAINTING.  International  Textbook  Co., 
Scranion,  Pcnn.,  1902,  pp.  237,  $4.00,  but  to  be  had  only  in 
connection  zcv'/A  4  other  volumes  (as  above). 

INTERNATIONAL   CORRESPONDENCE    SCHOOLS. 

SHOW-CARD  WRITING.  International  Textbook  Co.,  Scranton, 
Penn.,  1903,  pp.  172;  in  addition  many  pages  of  illustrations, 
$4.00,  but  to  be  had  only  in  connection  zi'ith  four  other  vol- 
umes (as  above). 

MACDONALD,  J.  ANGUS. 

SUCCESSFUL  ADVERTISING:  HOW  TO  ACCOMPLISH  IT.  The  Lin- 
coln Publishing  Co.,  Philadelphia,  1902,  pp.  400,  $2.00.  The 
book  contains  the  following  five  chapters :  Advertisement 
Building;  Retail  Advertising  all  the  Year  Around;  Special 
Features  in  Retail  Advertising;  Mail  Order  Advertising; 
Miscellaneous  Advertising.  The  book  contains  much  advice, 
numerous  illustrations  of  good  ways  of  saying  things,  and 
is  altogether  a  helpful  book  for  the  beginner  in  advertising. 

MACGREGOR,  T.  D. 

PUSHING  YOUR  BUSINESS.  Bankers'  Publishing  Co.,  New 
York,  J907,  pp.  22,  $1.00.  Devoted  primarily  to  financial 
and  real  estate  advertising. 

MAHIN,  JOHN  LEE. 

LECTURES  ON  ADVERTISING.  Mahin  Advertising  Co.,  Chicago, 
1907,  pp.  76,  $1.00. 

MAHIN,  JOHN  LEE. 

MAHIN'S  ADVERTISING  DATA  BOOK.  Mahin  Advertising  Co., 
Chicago,  1908,  pp.  556,  $2.00. 


253 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

MORAN,  CLARENCE. 

THE  BUSINESS  OF  ADVERTISING.  Methuen  &  Co.,  London,  1905. 
pp.  191,  2s,  6d  net.  The  book  contains  the  following  chapters : 
Advertising  and  Its  Utility;  History  of  Advertising;  Man- 
ual of  Advertising;  Advertising  in  the  Press;  Advertising 
by  Circular;  The  Pictorial  Poster  (other  chapters  and  ap- 
pendices are  purely  local  in  interest). 

MORISON,  FRANCIS  R. 

BANKING    PUBLICITY.    Moody    Publishing    Co.,    New    York, 

1904,  pp.  162,  $4.00.     A  manual  on  the  art  of  advertising  the 
business  of  financial  institutions,  containing  numerous  prac- 
tical illustrations  of  appropriate  wording  and  typographical 
arrangement  of  financial  advertisements  and  forms  of  "  fol- 
low-up "  letters. 

PAGE,  EDWARD  T. 

ADVERTISING.  The  Publicity  Publishing  Co.,  Chicago,  1903, 
PP-  255,  $2.50.  How  to  plan,  prepare,  write  and  manage  ad- 
vertising; a  course  in  the  practical  application  of  successful 
advertising. 

POWELL,   GEORGE  HENRY. 

POWELL'S  PRACTICAL  ADVERTISER.    G.  H.  Powell,  New  York, 

1905,  pp.    229,   $5.00,     A    practical   work   for    advertisement 
writers   and   business    men,    with   instructions    on   planning, 
preparing,    placing   and    managing   modern    publicity.     With 
cyclopedia  of  over  one  thousand  useful  advertisements. 

PUBLISHERS'   ADVERTISING  BUREAU. 

RETAIL  AD.  WRITING  SIMPLIFIED.  Publishers'  Advertising 
Bureau,  Galesburg,  III,  pp.  108,  $1.50.  A  simple  and  com- 
prehensive course  of  instruction  for  the  preparation  of  suc- 
cessful advertising.  The  price  is  excessive.  The  author 
(or  authors)  appears  to  be  a  youth  who  has  infinite  faith  in 
his  own  ideas. 

RICE,  A.  E. 

PRACTICAL  BANK  ADVERTISING.  Fremont  Publishing  Co.,  Fre- 
mont, Ohio,  1900,  pp.  745,  $10.00.  A  cyclopedia  of  advertis- 
ing information  for  financial  institutions. 

254 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


ROGERS,  W.  S. 

A  BOOK  OF  THE  POSTER.  Greening  &  Co.,  London,  1901,  pp. 
158,  75,  6d.  Illustrated  with  examples  of  the  work  of  the 
principal  poster  artists  of  the  world. 

ROXVELL,  GEORGE  PRESBURY. 

FORTY  YEARS  AN  ADVERTISING  AGENT,   1865-1905.      Printers'  Ink 

Publishing  Co.,  New  York,  1906,  517  pp.,  $2.00.  The  book 
contains  no  table  of  contents  but  is  subdivided  into  fifty-two 
"  papers ;  "  the  contents  of  the  book  are  mainly  reminiscence 
but  the  style  of  the  author  is  so  pleasing  that  the  papers  will 
be  found  interesting  even  by  those  who  have  never  known 
the  author  personally. 

SAMPSON,  HENRY. 

A   HISTORY  OF  ADVERTISING  FROM   THE  EARLIEST  TIMES.      Ckdtto 

&•  Windus,  London,  1874,  />/>.  616,  73,  6d.  Illustrated  by 
anecdotes,  curious  specimens  and  biographical  notes.  The 
book  is  exactly  what  the  title  asserts  and  has  supplied  many 
an  interesting  story  or  illustration  for  speakers  before  adver- 
tising clubs. 

SAWYER,    SAMUEL. 

SECRETS  OF  THE  MAIL-ORDER  TRADE.  Sawyer  Publishing  Co., 
New  York,  1900,  pp.  180,  $1.00.  The  book  is  confined  to 
the  subject  named  in  the  title  and  is  rather  well  written  and 
instructive. 

SCOTT,  WALTER  DILL. 

THEORY  OF  ADVERTISING.  Small,  Maynard  &  Co.,  Boston, 
1903,  Pp.  240,  $2.00,  net.  A  Simple  Exposition  of  the  Prin- 
ciples of  Psychology  in  Their  Relation  to  Advertising.  This 
book  is  the  first  volume  in  which  psychological  principles 
are  thus  applied,  and  hence  the  book  may  be  said  to  have 
created  a  new  era  in  the  science  of  advertising.  The  book 
contains  the  following  chapters :  The  Theory  of  Adver- 
tising ;  Attention ;  Association  of  Ideas ;  Suggestion ;  The 
Direct  Command ;  The  Psychological  Value  of  the  Return 
Coupon ;  Psychological  Experiment ;  Perception ;  Illusions 

255 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

of  Perception;  Illusions  of  Apperception;  Personal  Differ- 
ences in  Mental  Imagery;  Practical  Application  of  Mental 
Imagery ;  Conclusion. 

SMITH,  WILLIAM. 

ADVERTISE.     HOW?     WHEN?     WHERE?    Routlege,  W  arne     & 

Routlege,  London,  1863,  is.  The  book  lacks  the  modern 
practical  point  of  view. 

STEAD,  WILLIAM. 

THE  ART  OF  ADVERTISING.  T.  B.  Browne,  London,  1899,  pp. 

I5I>  3$,  6d.    This  is  one  of  the  better  foreign  books  but  is 

not  up  to  the  American  standard. 

STRONG,  CHARLES  JAY. 

THE  ART  OF  SHOW  CARD  WRITING.  The  Detroit  School  of 
Lettering,  Detroit,  1907,  pp.  209,  $2.50.  A  modern  treatise 
on  show  card  writing,  designed  as  an  educator  in  all 
branches  of  the  art,  with  two  hundred  fifty-six  illustrations 
and  thirty  lettering  plates,  comprising  all  the  standard  an- 
cient and  modern  styles. 

THOMPSON,  J.  WALTER. 

THE      THOMPSON      BLUE      BOOK      ON      ADVERTISING.      /.       Walter 

Thompson  &  Co.,  New  York,  Chicago  and  Boston,  1906,  pp. 
238.  A  Register  of  Representative  Organs  and  How  to  Use 
Them.  The  book  is  in  the  main  a  register  of  newspapers 
and  other  publications  with  a  statement  of  the  supposed  cir- 
culation of  each  and  the  advertising  rate.  The  book  is  pub- 
lished in  the  interest  of  an  advertising  agency  and  presents 
numerous  illustrations  of  the  work  of  the  agency.  Inci- 
dentally much  information  concerning  advertising  is  pre- 
sented. 

THOMPSON,  W.  A. 

MODERN      SHOW     CARD      LETTERING     DESIGNS      AND     ADVERTISING 

PHRASES.  W.  A.  Thompson,  Pontiac,  Mich.,  1906,  pp.  112, 
$1.00.  A  practical  treatise  on  up-to-date  pen  and  brush 
lettering,  giving  instruction  respecting  many  styles  of  alpha- 
bets, shading,  spacing,  figuring  and  show  card  designing. 

256 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


TRACY,  CHARLES  A. 

THE   ART   OF   DECORATING    SHOW    WINDOWS    AND   INTERIORS.       The 

Merchants'  Record  Co.,  Chicago,  1906,  pp.  410,  $3.50.  "A 
complete  manual  of  window  trimming  designed  as  an  edu- 
cator in  all  the  details  of  the  art,  according  to  the  best  ac- 
cepted methods  and  treating  fully  every  important  subject." 

WAGON  SELLER,  G.   W. 

THEORY  AND  PRACTICE  OF  ADVERTISING.  WagOHSeller  Pub- 
lishing House,  Middlebury,  Pa.,  1903,  pp.  64,  $1.00. 


THE  FOLLOWING  IS  A  LIST  OF  THE  BOOKS  ON 
PSYCHOLOGY  WHICH  ARE  MOST  HELPFUL  TO  BUSI- 
NESS MEN. 

ANGELL,  JAMES  R. 

PSYCHOLOGY.  Henry  Holt  &  Co.,  New  York,  1908,  pp.  410. 
$1.50.  Modern,  scientific  and  practical. 

BALDWIN,  JAMES   MARK. 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  MIND.  D.  Appleton  &  Co.,  New  York, 
1901,  pp.  232,  small,  $0.35.  An  excellent  little  book  and  is 
found  by  business  men  to  be  of  interest  and  value. 

BETTS,  GEORGE  HERBERT. 

THE    MIXD    AND     ITS    EDUCATION.      D.    AppletOH     &     Co.,    New 

York,  1906,  pp.  265,  $1.25. 
HALLECK,  REUBEN  POST. 

EDUCATION      OF      THE     CENTRAL     NERVOUS     SYSTEM.      Macmillan 

Co.,  New  York,  1904,  $1.00. 

HALLECK,  REUBEN  POST. 

PSYCHOLOGY  AND  PSYCHIC  CULTURE.  American  Book  Co., 
New  York,  1895,  pp.  368,  $1.25. 

HOFFMAN,  FRANK  SARGENT. 

PSYCHOLOGY    AND    COMMON    LIFE.      G.    P.    Putnam's   Sons,    N eW 

York,  1903,  pp.  286,  $1.30. 

257 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING; 

JAMES,  WILLIAM. 

PSYCHOLOGY,  BRIEFER  COURSE.  Henry  Holt  &  Co.,  New 
York,  1900,  pp.  478,  $1.60.  This  is  in  many  ways  the  most 
significant  volume  that  has  yet  been  written  in  English  on 
psychology.  The  general  reader  may  begin  his  reading  of 
the  book  at  page  134,  as  the  first  133  pages  involve  a  knowl- 
edge of  physiology. 

JAMES,  WILLIAM. 

TALKS  TO  TEACHERS  ON  PSYCHOLOGY.  Henry  Holt  &  Co.,  N ew 
York,  1901,  pp.  301,  $1.50.  Although  this  book  was  written 
primarily  for  teachers,  it  will  be  found  valuable  to  business 
men. 

JASTROW,  JOSEPH. 

THE  SUBCONSCIOUS.  Houghton,  Mvftiin  &  Co.,  Boston,  1905. 
PP-  549,  $2-50-  The  best  book  on  the  phase  of  psychology 
indicated  by  the  title. 

MUNSTERBERG,   HUGO. 

PSYCHOLOGY     AND     LIFE.      HoUghtOH,     Mifflin     &     Co.,     Boston, 

1899,  pp.  286,  $2.50. 

SCOTT,  WALTER  DILL. 

THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  PUBLIC  SPEAKING.  Pearson  Brothers, 
Philadelphia,  1907,  pp.  222,  $1.25. 

SCOTT,  WALTER  DILL. 

THEORY  OF  ADVERTISING.  Small,  Maynard  &  Co.,  Boston, 
1903,  pp.  240,  $2.00  net.  A  Simple  Exposition  of  the  Princi- 
ples of  Psychology  in  Their  Relation  to  Advertising. 

SCRIPTURE,  E.  W. 

THE  NEW  PSYCHOLOGY.  Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New  York, 
1898,  pp.  500,  $1.25. 

SCRIPTURE,  E.  W. 

THINKING,    FEELING    AND    DOING.       G.    P.    Putnam's    Sons,    N '  €W 

York,  1907,  pp.  266,  $1.75. 

258 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


SIDIS,  BORIS. 

THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    SUGGESTION.      D.    AppletOn    &    Co.,    New 

York,  1898,  pp.  386,  $1.75- 

STRATTON,  GEORGE  MALCOM. 

EXPERIMENTAL  PSYCHOLOGY  AND  ITS  BEARING  UPON  CULTURE. 
Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1903,  pp.  331,  $2.00. 

THORNDIKE,  EDWARD  LEE. 

THE  HUMAN  NATURE  CLUB.  Longmans,  Green  &  Co.,  New 
York,  1902,  pp.  235,  $1.25.  The  readers  of  this  elementary 
work  would  doubtless  desire  some  of  the  author's  more 
advanced  works  after  the  completion  of  this  introductory 
one. 

TITCHENER,  E.  B. 

OUTLINES  OF  PSYCHOLOGY.  MacmtUan  Co.,  New  York,  In 
Press,  $1.50. 

TITCHENER. 

A  PRIMER  OF  PSYCHOLOGY.  Macitiillan  Co.,  New  York,  1899, 
pp.  316,  $1.00. 

WlTMER,    LlGHTMER. 

ANALYTICAL  PSYCHOLOGY.    Gitin  &  Co.,  New  York,  1902,  pp. 

251,  $1.50. 

WUNDT,    WlLHELM. 

OUTLINES  OF  PSYCHOLOGY.    G.  E.  Stechert  &  Co.,  New  York, 

1902,  pp.  342,  $2.00. 

WUNDT,  WILHZLM. 

HUMAN  AND  ANIMAL  PSYCHOLOGY.  Macmillan  Co.,  New 
York,  1894,  pp.  454,  $2.60. 


THE   FOLLOWING   MAGAZINES   ARE  DEVOTED   TO 
THE  SUBJECT  OF  ADVERTISING: 

Adsense,  Chicago,  monthly. 
Advertising,  Chicago,  monthly. 
Advertising  Agent,  New  York,  monthly. 

259 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

Advertising  World,   Columbus,  O.,  monthly. 

Agricultural  Advertiser,  Chicago,  monthly. 

Brains    for    the    Retailer    and    Advertiser,    Deposit,    N.    Y., 

weekly. 

Circulating  Manager,  Chicago,  monthly. 
Fame,  New  York,  monthly. 
Fourth  Estate,  New  York,  weekly. 
Judicious  Advertising,   Chicago,  monthly. 
Mail  Order  Journal,  Chicago,  monthly. 
Mertz's  Magazines,  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  monthly. 
National  Advertiser,  New  York,  weekly. 
Newspaperdom,   New  York,  semi-monthly. 
Practical  Advertising,  Atlanta,  Ga.,  monthly. 
Profitable  Advertising,  Boston,  monthly. 
Printers'  Ink,  New  York,  weekly. 
Publicite,  Montreal,  Quebec,  Can.,  monthly. 
Signs  of  the  Times,  Cincinnati,  monthly. 
Street  Railway  Advertising  Quarterly,  New  York,  quarterly. 
Western  Monthly,  Kansas  City,  monthly. 
White's   Class  Advertising,  Chicago,  monthly. 
White's  Sayings,  Washington,  monthly. 


THE  FOLLOWING  IS  A  LIST  OF  THE  BEST  ARTI- 
CLES ON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  ADVERTISING  FOUND  IN 
MAGAZINES  OTHER  THAN  THOSE  DEVOTED  EXCLU- 
SIVELY TO  ADVERTISING. 

ALGER,  G.  W. 

UNPUNISHED  COMMERCIAL  CRIME.    Atlantic  Monthly,  Vol.  94: 
170-178,  August,  1904. 

ATLANTIC  MONTHLY. 

SWINDLING  AND  NEWSPAPER  ADVERTISING.     Vol.  94:  284-286, 
August,  1904. 

BAXTER,  SYLVESTER. 

THE    NUISANCE    OF    ADVERTISING.      Century,    Vol.    73:    419-430, 

January,  1907. 

260 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


BELCHER,  JOSEPH  J. 

NEWSPAPER    ADVERTISEMENTS.     Harper's    Magazine,    Vol.    33: 
781-789,  November,  1866. 

BRADY,  CYRUS  TOWN  SEND. 

MAGAZINE     CIRCULATION     AND     ADVERTISING.       The     Critic,     Vol. 

47:    168-171,  August,   7905. 

BROWN,  WALTER  BARRETT. 

BOOK    ADVERTISING    FROM    THE    INSIDE.     Guntlier's    Magazine, 
Vol.  26:  435-440,  May,  1904. 

BRUSH,  GEORGE  SABIN. 

STREET  RAILWAY  ADVERTISING.     Street  Railway  Journal,   Vol. 
28:  331-333,  Sept.  i,  1906. 

CHAPIN,  CHARLES  H.  B. 

ELECTRIC  CENTRAL  STATION   ADVERTISING.     Cossier's  Magazine, 
Vol.  29:  461-465,  April,  1906. 

CHOLMONDELEY,  MARY. 

AN  ART  IN  ITS  INFANCY.     The  Monthly  Review,  Vol.  3:  79- 
90,  June,  1901. 

CHRISTIAN,  EDMUND  B.  V. 

THE  ADVERTISER'S  SHAKESPEARE,     Gentlemen's  Magazine,  Vol. 
271:  305-311,  March,  1893. 

COLFORD,  JULIAN   KING. 

THE  SIGNS  OF  OLD  LONDON.     St.  Nicholas,   Vol.  jz:   160-166, 
203-210,  December,  1903,  January,  1904. 

COLLINS,  JAS.  H. 

THE  ADVERTISEMENT   WRITER.     The    IVorld    To-day,   Vol.    13: 
1104-1108,   November,   1907. 

COLLINS,  JAS.  H. 

NOTES    FOR    A    HISTORY    OF    BOOK    PUFFERY.       Bookman,    Vol.    24: 

62-68,  September,  1906. 

26l 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

DAY,  LEWIS  F. 

ART  IN  ADVERTISING.     Art  Journal,  V ol.  59 1  49-,  1897. 

DELINEATOR. 

THE  SUBSTITUTION  EVIL.  Delineator,  Vol.  68:  697,  Novem- 
ber, 1906.  The  Honor  that  is  back  of  Advertising;  Why 
Continued  Advertising  Pays. 

DEWESSE,  TRAUMAN  A. 

THE    YOUNG     MAN     WITH     NOTHING    BUT    BRAINS.       Forum,     Vol. 

32:  695-699,  February,  1902. 
DIAL,  THE. 

BOOKS  AND  SHOES.       Vol.  5:   $65-366,  Dec.    I,   IQOj. 

ELLIS,  G.  STANLEY. 

AGONY  ADVERTISEMENTS.  Good  Words,  Vol.  41:  827-830,  De- 
cember, 1900. 

EVANS,  RICHARDSON. 

ADVERTISEMENT  DISFIGUREMENT.  Westminster  Review,  Vol. 
151:  244-258,  March,  1899. 

EVANS,  RICHARDSON. 

ADVERTISING  AS  A  TRESPASS  ON  THE  PUBLIC.  The  Nineteenth 
Century,  Vol.  37:  968-980,  June,  1895. 

EVANS,  RICHARDSON. 

ARCHITECTURE  AND  ADVERTISING.  Journal  of  the  Society  of 
Arts,  Vol.  42:  35-44,  Dec.  19,  1893. 

FORBES,  W.  D. 

A  QUESTION  OF  GOOD  ADVERTISING.  Cossier's  Magazine,  Vol. 
29:  5i5-5i8,  April,  1906. 

FOWLER,  NATHANIEL,  C. 

ADVERTISING,  PAST,  PRESENT,  FUTURE.  The  Arena,  Vol.  29: 
638-643,  June,  1903. 

262 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


FRENCH,  GEORGE. 

THE     PRINCIPLES     OF     BOOK     ADVERTISING.       The     Dial,     V  ol.     $01 

5-6,  Jan.  i,  1906. 

FRISH,  W.  P. 

ARTISTIC  ADVERTISING.    Magazine   of  Art,   Vol.   12:   421-427, 
1889. 

HAIXES,  C  W. 

DEFACING  PROPERTY.     Nation,  V ol.  85:  76,  July  25,  1907. 

HARPER'S   WEEKLY. 

HOW    TO  CURB  BILL-POSTERS.       V ' ol.   51;    IO2O,  July   13,   JpO/. 

HARRIS,  EMERSON  P. 

THE    ECONOMIES    OF    ADVERTISING.      Social    Economies,    V ol.    4: 

171-174,  March,  1893. 

HARVEY,  GEORGE. 

OF  HONESTY  IN  ADVERTISING.    North  American  Review,  Vol. 
183:  693-695,  Oct.  5,  1906. 

HARTT,  ROLLIN  LYXDE. 

THE    HUMORS   OF   ADVERTISING.    Atlantic   Monthly,    Vol.   93: 
602-612,  May,  1904. 

HAYWARD,  A. 

THE  ADVERTISING  SYSTEM.     Edinburgh  Review,  Vol.  77:  1-43, 
February,  1843. 

HEINRICHS,  ERNEST  H. 

THE  ART  OF  SUCCESSFUL  ADVERTISING.    Engineering  Magazine, 
Vol.  6:  229-233,  November,  1893. 

HERZEBERG,  OSCAR. 

THE       EVOLUTION       OF       NEWSPAPER     ADVERTISING.      Lippincotfs 

Magazine,  Vol.  60:  107-112,  July,  1897. 
HOUSTON,  HERBERT  S. 

BRITISH    AND    AMERICAN    ADVERTISING.       World's    Work     (Loil- 

don),  Vol.  2:  401-403,  September,  1903. 
263 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

INDEPENDENT. 

A  THEATRICAL  PRESS  AGENT'S  CONFESSION  AND  APOLOGY.    Vol. 
59:  191-196,  July  27,  1905. 

ADVERTISING    THE    GOSPEL.       Vol.    58:    196-201,    Jan.    26, 


JENKINS,  MACGREGOR. 

HUMAN     NATURE    AND    ADVERTISING.      Atlantic    Monthly,     Vol. 

94-  393-401,  September,  1904. 
KEMP,  R.  W. 

ETHICS      OF     ADVERTISING.      The     Bookman,      V  ol.      2=>l      3I~32, 

March,  1907. 

KIMBALL,  ARTHUR  REED. 

BINDING  ADVERTISEMENTS  IN   SERIALS.     The  Library  Journal, 
Vol.  28:  766-767,  November,  1903. 

KIMBALL,  ARTHUR  REED. 

THE    FIGHT    AGAINST    ADVERTISING    DISFIGUREMENT.      Scribner's 

Magazine,  Vol.  29:  101-105,  January,  1901. 

KIMBALL,  ARTHUR  REED. 

THE  MODERN  HIGHWAY.    Independent,  Vol.  52:  307-310,  Feb. 
i,  1900. 

LANG,  ANDREW. 

LITERATURE       AND       ADVERTISEMENT.       Independent,       V  ol.       55.' 

2088-2090,  Sept.  3,  1893. 

LOGAN,  J.  D. 

SOCIAL    EVOLUTION     AND     ADVERTISING.     Canadian     Magazinef 
Vol.  28:   330-334,  February,  1907. 

Low,  WILL  H. 

THE   RIGHT  TO    KEEP   THE  WORLD   BEAUTIFUL.       Scribner's   MagO- 

zine,  Vol.  34:  507-512,  October,  1903. 
264 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


MACDONAGH,  MICHAEL. 

THE     CRAFT      OF      NEWSPAPER      ADVERTISING.       Monthly      Review, 

Vol.  20:  102-113,  August,  7905. 

MALTBIE,  MILO  ROY. 

ADVERTISING  SIGNS  AND  ART.  Municipal  Affairs,  Vol.  5:  738- 
753,  September,  1901. 

MATAJA,  VICTOR. 

THE  ECONOMIC  VALUE  OF  ADVERTISING.  International  Quar- 
terly, Vol.  8:  379-398,  December,  1903.  (A  forceful  pres- 
entation of  the  possible  evils  of  advertising.) 

McDoucAL,  WILLIAM  H. 

THE  ADVERTISING  PAGE.  Overland  Monthly,  Vol.  22:  569-572, 
December,  1893. 

MEYER,  ANNIE  NATHAN. 

AMONG    THE    FEBRUARY    MAGAZINES.       The    Bookman,    Vol.    If. 

20-22,  March,  1903. 

MUNICIPAL  AFFAIRS. 

MUNICIPAL  AESTHETICS  FROM  A  LEGAL  STANDPIONT.  Vol.  3". 
715-723,  Decer-bcr,  1899. 

NATION. 

FINANCIAL   ADVERTISEMENTS.       Vol.    9:    186-187,   Sept.   2.    1869. 
ART   AND   ADVERTISING.      Vol.   2OI   34^~343,  May  20,   1875. 

MUNICIPAL  ADVERTISING.     Vol.  66 1  240,  March  13,  1898. 

EVERY  AUTHOR  HIS  OWN  PRESS  AGENT.  Vol.  73:  86-87,  Aug. 
I,  1901. 

POSTER  REGULATIONS.      Vol.   74:    146-147,  Feb.   20,  I9O2. 
REGULATION   OF   PUBLIC   ADVERTISING.       V ol.   78:    163-164,   March 

3,  1904. 

NEW  REVIEW. 

THE    ADVERTISING    NUISANCE.     Vol.    9:    466-481,    November, 
1893.     (Discussed  by  W.  E.  H.  Seeky,  Walter  Besant,  Mary 
Jeune,  W.  B.  Richmond  and  Julian  Sturges.) 
265 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

OMSTED,  FREDERICK  Low. 

REFORM  IN  PUBLIC  ADVERTISING.     Brush  and  Pencil,  Vol.  6: 
247-256,  September,  1900. 

ONCE  A  WEEK. 

THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    ADVERTISING.      Vol.    O:    163-165,    August, 
1863.  • 

OUTLOOK. 

TAXING  SIGNS.    V ol.  78:  657-659,  November  12,  1904. 

POWERS,  JOHN  O. 

ADVERTISING.    Annals    of    American    Academy    of    Political 
and  Social  Science,  Vol.  22:  470-474,  November,  1903. 

QUARTERLY  REVIEW. 

ADVERTISEMENTS.    Vol.  97 ':  183-225,  May,  1855. 

RANDELL,  WILFRID  L. 

THE   POSTER   AND    THE   PUBLIC.      Living   Age,    Vol.    36:    509-5!!, 

Aug.  24,  1907. 

REID,  ANDREW. 

HISTORY  IN  ADVERTISING.     Fortnightly  Review,  Vol.  72:  576- 
588,  October,  1899. 

REPPLIER,  AGNES. 

"AS   ADVERTISED."    Llppincotfs  Magazine,   Vol.  66:  912-917, 
December,  1900. 

REVIEW  OF  REVIEWS   (American). 

ADVERTISING    IN    FRANCE.       V ol.    23:    485-486,  April,   IQQI. 

THE    PLACE    OF    ADVERTISING     IN     MODERN     BUSINESS.       Vol.     23'. 

612-614,  May,  1901. 

THE   GROWTH    OF   ADVERTISING.     Vol.   29:    IOI-I02.    January, 

1904. 

ROBINSON,  C.  M. 

ABUSES  OF  PUBLIC  ADVERTISING.    Atlantic  Monthly,  Vol.  93: 
289-299,  March,  1904. 

266 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


ROBINSON,  C.  M. 

ARTISTIC  POSSIBILITIES  OF  ADVERTISING.  Atlantic  Monthly, 
Vol.  94:  53-60,  July,  1904. 

SCIENTIFIC  AMERICAN,  SUPPLEMENT. 

AUTOMATIC,  CHANGEABLE  ELECTRIC  SIGNS.  Vol.  $1,  2IO87~ 
21088,  March  23,  1001. 

SCOTT,  W.  D. 

PSYCHOLOGY  OF  ADVERTISING.  Atlantic  Monthly,  Vol.  93:  29- 
36,  January,  1904. 

SCRIBNER'S  MAGAZINE. 

A  PLEA  FOR  BETTER  STRKET  CAR  POETRY.  Vol.  31:  378-380, 
March,  1902. 

ON    THE   OWNERSHIP    OF    YOURSELF.       Vol.    34:    633-634,   NoZ'Ctll- 

bcr.  1903. 
SHEAFER,  HENRY  C. 

A      STUDY      IN      ADVERTISING.       The     Arena,      Vol.    29-'      384-390, 

April,  1903. 
SEEDS,  RUSSEL  M. 

ORGANIZING    THE    MACHINE-SELLING   DEPARTMENT.       Engineering 

Magazine,  Vol.  27:  762-767,  August,  1904. 

SHERMAN,  SIDNEY  A. 

ADVERTISING  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  American  Statistical 
Association.  New  Series  No.  52:  1-44,  December,  /poo. 
(This  is  one  of  the  most  scientific  articles  that  has  yet  ap- 
peared on  the  subject  of  advertising.) 

SHORE,  \V.  TEIGEMOUTH. 

THE  CRAFT  OF  THE  ADVERTISER.  Fortnightly  Review,  Vol.  81: 
301-310,  February,  1907. 

STUART,  ESME. 

ONLY  THE  ADVERTISEMENT.  Temple  Bar,  Vol.  106:  220-230, 
October,  7905. 

267 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

SWINTON,  JOHN. 

NEWSPAPER  NOTORIETY.    Independent,  Vol.  53:  211-213,  Jan. 
24,  1901. 

VAN  NORMAN,  Louis  E. 

ADVERTISING   IDEAS.     Chautauquan,   Vol.   39:    175-179,   April, 
1904. 

WAKEMAN,  GEORGE. 

ADVERTISING.     The  Galaxy,  Vol.  3:  202-211,  January,  1867. 

WALDRON,  GEORGE  B. 

WHAT    AMERICA    SPENDS    IN    ADVERTISING.       ChdUtdUquan,    V ol 

38:  155-159,  October,  1903. 

WARNER,  JOHN  DEW  ITT. 

ADVERTISING  RUN   MAD.    Municipal  Affairs,   Vol.  4:  269-293, 
June,  1900. 

WARNER,  JOHN  DEWITT. 

ADVERTISING    AND    ADVERTISERS.     Municipal   Affairs,    Vol.    4: 
772-774,  December,  1900. 

WIGHT,    PETER   B. 

THE   REAL   BILL-BOARD    QUESTION.      Chautauquan,    Vol.   37:    401- 

494,  August,  1903. 

WILLIAMS,  HENRY  MATTHEWS. 

THE  STORY  OF  AN  "  AD/'    The  Arena,  Vol.  19:  684-685,  May, 
1898. 

WILLIAMS,  J.  B. 

THE  EARLY   HISTORY  OF  LONDON    ADVERTISING.       Nineteenth   Ceil- 

tury,  Number  369:   793-800,  November,  1907. 

WISBY,  HROLF. 

MODERN    ADVERTISING    METHODS.     The   Independent,    Vol.    56: 
260-264,  Feb.  4,  1904. 

268 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


WOODRUFF,  CLINTON  ROGERS. 

THE    CRUSADE    AGAINST    BILLBOARDS.       Rci'lCW    of    Rdieii'S,    Vol. 

3^:  345-349,  September,  7907. 
YALE  REVIEW. 

THE    PHILOSOPHY     OF     MODERN     ADVERTISING.       Vol.    8: 

X  oi' ember,  1899. 


A  SUPPLEMENTARY  LIST  OF  BOOKS  ON  ADVERTISING, 
PUBLISHED    1908-1910. 

BALMER,  EDWIN. 

THE  SCIENCE  OF  ADVERTISING.  Originally  published  by  the 
author,  Chicago,  III.,  /pop;  for  sale  by  Duffield  d°  Company, 
New  York,  50  cents  net. 

BARSODI,  WILLIAM. 

FINANCIAL  ADVERTISING.  Barsodi  Advertising  Service,  New 
York,  /pop,  pp.  128,  $2.00. 

BELLAMY,  FRANCIS,  EDITOR. 

EFFECTIVE  MAGAZINE  ADVERTISING.  With  an  introduction, 
"The  Science  of  Advertising  Copy"  Mitchell  Kennerley,  New 
York,  /pop,  pp.  361,  $j.oo  net. 

BERKWITZ.  WILLIAM  LEONARD. 

THE  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  THE  MAIL  ORDER  BUSINESS.      Published 

by  the  author,  New  York,  ipo8,  pp.  270,  #5.00. 

BUNTING,  HENRY  S. 

SPECIALTY  ADVERTISING.  Novelty  News  Press,  Chicago,  1010, 
PP.  163. 

CHAPMEN,  CLOWRY. 

THE  LAW  OF  ADVERTISING  AND  SALES.    Published  by  the  author, 
Denver.  1008,  two  volumes,  $10.00. 
269 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

COLLINS,  JAMES  H. 

HUMAN  NATURE  IN  SELLING  GOODS.     Henry  Altemus  Co., 
Philadelphia,  ipop,  pp.  93,  $0.50  net. 

CORBIN,  WILLIAM  A. 

SALESMANSHIP   DEPORTMENT   AND   SYSTEM.      G.    W.   Jacobs   &• 

Co.,  Philadelphia,  1907,  pp.  380,  $1.00. 

DELAND,  LORIN  F. 

IMAGINATION  IN  BUSINESS.    Harper  and  Brothers,  New  York, 
ipop,  pp.  108,  $0.50. 

EDGAR,  A.  E. 

HOW    TO    ADVERTISE    A    RETAIL    STORE.       The    Outing    PreSS, 

Deposit,  N.  Y.,  1908,  pp.  504,  $3.50. 
Fox,  IRVING  P.  AND  FORBES,  B.  A. 

ONE     THOUSAND     WAYS     AND     SCHEMES     TO     ATTRACT     TRADE. 

Spatula  Publishing  Co.,  Boston,  1907,  pp.  208,  $1.00. 

FRENCH,  GEORGE. 

THE  ART  AND  SCIENCE  OF  ADVERTISING.    Sherman,  French  6* 
Co.,  Boston,  ipop,  pp.  291,  $2.00  net. 

GULICK,  LUTHER  H. 

MIND  AND  WORK.    Doubleday,  Page  6*  Co.,  New  York,  1908, 
pp.  201,  $1.20  net. 

HOLMAN,  WASHINGTON  C. 

GINGER  TALKS.    The  Salesmanship  Co.,  Chicago,  1908,  pp.  206, 
$2.00. 

HOLMAN,  WASHINGTON  C. 

TALKING  POINTS  AND  SELLING  ARGUMENTS.     Salesmanship  Co., 

Chicago,  1908,  pp.  516,  $5.00. 

i  ENINGTON,  NORMAN  G. 

SEVEN  PRINCIPLES  OF  SUCCESSFUL  ADVERTISING.    Commercial 
Science  System,  Scranton,  Pa.,  1908,  pp.  141,  $1.00. 

270 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


LEWIS,  E.  ST.  ELMO. 

FINANCIAL  ADVERTISING.    Levey  Brothers  &•  Co.,  Indianapolis, 

1908,  pp.  992,  $5.00. 

LEWIS,  HENRY  HARRISON,  AND  DUFF,  ORVA  S. 

HOW   FORTUNES   ARE   MADE   IN  AVDERTISING.      Publicity  Pub- 

lishing  Co.,  Chicago,  1908,  pp.  242,  $1.25. 
LEWIS,  LAWRENCE. 

THE  ADVERTISEMENTS  OF  THE  SPECTATOR.      HoUgkton,  Mifflin 

Co.,  Boston,  1909,  pp.  308,  $2.00. 
LINDGREN,  CHARLES. 

THE  NEW  SALESMANSHIP  AND  HOW  TO  DO  BUSINESS  BY  MAIL. 

Laird  6*  Lee,  Chicago,  1909,  pp.  190,  $1.50. 

MACGREGOR,  T.  D. 

PUSHING  YOUR  BUSINESS.    Bankers  Publishing  Co.,  New  York, 

1909,  pp.  181,  $1.00. 

PRATT,  WILLIAM  KNIGHT. 

THE   ADVERTISING   MANUAL.     Daniel  Stern,   Chicago,    1909, 
pp.  278,  $3.50. 

SYSTEM  PUBLISHING  Co. 

HOW  TO  WRITE  LETTERS  THAT  WIN.    System  Publishing  Co., 
Chicago,  1909,  pp.  128. 

THAYER,  JOHN  ADAMS. 

ASTIR.     Small,  Maynard  6*  Co.,  Boston,  1910,  pp.  302,  $1.20 
net. 

WOOLLEY,  EDWARD  MOTT. 

THE  ART  OF  SELLING  GOODS.     The  American  Business  Man, 
Chicago,  1907,  pp.  167. 


271 


INDEX 


Accuracy,  desired  in  newspapers,  228$". 

Address  of  advertiser  impressed  by  large  advertisement,  172. 

Advertiser,  and  his  problems,  148$".;  and  the  public,  131;  as  the 
diplomat  of  the  commercial  world,  116,  121;  as  the  typical 
business  man,  i;  essential  of  the  success  of,  132. 

Advertising  taught  by  mail,  illustration  of,  142. 

Action,  how  to  secure  on  part  of  customer.  94  JT.,  104;  the  part 
played  by  habit  in,  126$".;  various  methods  of,  io6ff.;  gov- 
erned by  known  laws,  116. 

American  Radiator  Company,  illustration  of,  123. 

American  Reserve  Bond  Company,  illustration  of,  64. 

Analysis,  involved  in  classification,  150;  of  emotions  and  interests, 
226. 

Application,  a  process  in  progressive  thinking,  147,  151$". 

Armour  &  Co.,  advertised  meat  as  the  carcass  of  dead  animals,  207, 
208;  advertised  ox  tongue  artistically,  208,  209;  advertise- 
ment weakened  by  make-up  of  paper,  213,  214. 

Art,  news  concerning,  228$". 

Association,  of  evil  consequences  from  make-up  of  advertisement, 
117;  importance  hi  food  advertising,  192$".;  value  of,  in 
memory,  9,  n,  18. 

Atlantic  Monthly,  77. 

Attention,  absence  of  counter-attraction  and,  157^".;  value  of 
holding  the  reader's,  120;  value  of  large  and  small  spaces 
for,  i57/. 

Bibliography,  Chapter  XVII;  books  upon  advertising,  240-257; 
books  on  psychology,  257-259;  magazines  on  advertising, 
259-260;  magazine  articles  on  advertising,  260-269. 

Bill-boards,  admit  of  extensive  display,  215. 

Book  reviews,  228. 

Booklets,  admit  of  complete  description,  215. 

Books,  periodicals  and  schools,  advertisements  of,  76,  163,  169. 

Boston  City  Board  of  Health,  61. 

Brain,  "pathways"  of  the,  129. 

Brand,  of  goods,  impressed  upon  mind  by  large  advertisement,  172. 

Brevity,  desired  in  newspapers,  22&ff. 

Business  men,  investigation  upon,  227^. 

Buster  Brown  Stocking  Co.,  illustrations  of,  18,  19. 

273 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

Butler  Paper  Company,  illustration  of,  34. 

Campaign,  advertising,  155. 

Cartoons,  22&ff. 

Century  Magazine,  an  analysis  of  its  advertising  history,  181$".; 
used  in  experiment  to  ascertain  attention- value,  160. 

Chicago  Public  Library,  observations  in,  135^. 

Chickering  Piano,  given  an  air  of  elegance,  194,  195. 

Circulars,  may  be  distributed  to  only  possible  customers,  215. 

Circulation  of  morning  and  evening  papers,  234. 

Classification,  an  instance  of,  154;  a  process  in  progressive  think- 
ing, 147,  149. 

Classified  advertisements,  read  by  those  who  search  for  them,  233. 

Clearness,  an  essential,  140$". 

Color,  in  advertising,  14;  as  a  reason  for  interest  in  advertisement, 

155- 

Competitors,  treatment  of  goods  of,  in  advertisements,  103,  119. 
Comprehension,  ease  of,  37. 
Confidence,  of  public  in  the  advertiser,  130. 
Consensus  of  opinion,  226. 

Convenience,  as  an  effective  conception  in  advertising,  122,  123. 
Cook,  Thomas  &  Company,  illustration  of,  39. 
Cook's  Flaked  Rice,  illustration  of,  114. 
Cream  of  Wheat,  illustrations  of,  12,  70. 
Criticisms  of  advertisements,  17,  19,  39,  42,  47,  74,  97,  100,  114, 

124,  141,  142,  201,  206,  207,  209,  211,  213. 
Curiosity  and  its  value  to  the  advertiser,  78. 
Deciding,  five  methods  of,  io6Jf. 
Description,  good  and  poor,  exemplified,  97jf.;    insufficiency  of, 

121 ;  subject-matter  of  advertisement,  96. 
Dickens,  quotation  from,  24. 
Display  advertisements,  seen  by  the  many,  233 ;    the  influence  of, 

142;  not  merely  to  attract,  143. 
Distribution,  of  good,  choice  of  medium,  215. 
Duplication  of  circulation,  232. 
Ebbinghouse,  Professor,  8. 
Edison,  Thomas  A.,  152. 
Editorials,  interest  in,  228$". 

Egg-O-See,  associated  with  wheat  in  a  pleasing  manner,  203. 
Egyptian  Deities  Cigarettes,  175. 

274 


INDEX 


Emotions,  see  Feelings. 

Equitable  Life  Insurance  Company,  175. 

Esthetic  sense,  25^".;  attention  and  the,  77;  in  clothing  adver- 
tisements, 59;  diversity  and  unity  essential  in  appealing  to, 
29;  division  of  page  in  magazines  and  the,  33;  examples  of 
appeal  to,  102;  the  influence  of,  in  deciding,  m;  symmetry 
in  advertisements  and  the,  34$". 

Ethical,  tone  of,  228$". 

Experience,  best  teacher,  226;  utilizing  that  of  others,  226. 

Experiment,  see  Investigation. 

Eye-movement,  ease  of,  in  looking  at  advertisement,  37. 

Familiarity,  with  goods  produced  through  advertising,  145,  146. 

Features,  of  a  newspaper,  22&ff. 

Feelings,  the,  and  the  emotions,  Chapter  III,  22$".;  appealing  to 
customers  through,  24^".;  influence  of,  in  making  decisions, 
109;  as  universal  aspect  of  mental  activities;  representations 
of,  and  attention,  47^". ;  of  sympathy,  38$". 

Filing,  observations  for  use,  149. 

Finance,  news  upon,  228$". 

Financial,  advertising,  questionable  ones  excluded,  245;  consid- 
eration a  reason  for  interest  in  advertisement,  155. 

Food  Advertising,  the  psychology  of,  Chapter  XIV. 

Foods,  of  urban  and  rural  peoples,  188$".;  creating  an  atmosphere 
for,  i92Jf.;  presented  in  pleasing  manner,  195^".;  presented 
as  carnivorous  animals,  204,  205. 

Foreign  news,  228/f. 

Forgetting,  8. 

Form  in  architecture,  art,  etc.,  2ojf.;  of  advertisements,  33jf. 

Frequency  of  advertisements,  114;  at  which  an  advertisement  is 
seen,  145,  221. 

Full-page  advertisements,  i6ijf. 

Function,  of  science,  226. 

Gage  Millinery,  illustration  of,  74. 

Gold  Dust,  illustration  of,  17. 

Golden  Fleece  Yarn,  illustration  of,  68. 

Golden  section,  28,  30,  32,  33,  36. 

Group,  representative,  227$. 

Habit,  Chapter  IV,  126$".;  the  determining  factor  of  what  we 
shall  be,  129;  old  and  new,  131;  advantage  of  permanence 

275 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

of,  in  customers,  132;  of  hasty  reading,  146;  of  reading  ad- 
vertisements, ChapterX,  i34/.;  study  of  the  customers,  131. 

Half -page  advertisements,  i6ijf. 

Head  lines,  scanned  by  most  readers,  232;  meaningless,  143. 

Health,  as  an  effective  conception  in  advertising,  122,  124. 

Holbrook's  Sauce,  illustration  of,  97,  100. 

Household  publications,  233. 

Howard  Obesity  Ointment,  illustration  of,  43. 

Humor,  in  advertising,  16;  value  of,  in  securing  sympathy,  43, 
44;  interest  in,  in  daily  papers,  236$". 

Hypnotism,  80,  82. 

Illusions,  of  time  and  space,  216$". 

Illustrations,  the  suggestive  power  of,  117;  should  illustrate,  140; 
the  moral  sense  and,  76;  and  suggestion,  88Jf. 

Imagination,  7;  determines  our  appreciation  of  foods,  i88Jf. 

Impression,  intensity  of,  in  an  advertisement,  13-18. 

In-er-Seal,  173,  174. 

Inference,  a  process  in  progressive  thinking,  147,  150. 

Influence  of  advertising,  144. 

Instincts,  human,  Chapter  V,  52$".;  definition  of,  52;  enumera- 
tion and  description  of,  56$".;  examples  of  appeal  to,  102; 
principle  of  classification  of,  55;  use  of,  by  the  advertiser,  58, 
59,  63,  66,  67,  70,  72,  76,  78. 

Interest,  228;  an  inducement  to  reading  entire  advertisement,  141 ; 
reasons  for,  in  advertisements,  1 54. 

Investigation,  upon  newspapers,  226jf.;  upon  attention  value  of 
small  and  large  spaces,  i57jf.;  upon  manner  of  reading  maga- 
zines in  the  Chicago  Public  Library,  i35Jf.;  upon  the  mor- 
tality rate  of  advertisers,  178$".;  upon  reasons  for  being 
influenced  by  advertisements,  i2ijf.,  154^. 

Investment,  a  good,  as  an  effective  conception  in  advertising,  123. 

Ivory  Soap,  conceived  as  pure  and  reliable,  122;  creating  an 
atmosphere  for,  192$".;  advertisements  of,  recalled,  173. 

James,  Professor  William,  quotations  from,  53^".,  69,  io6ff. 

Jap-a-lac,  illustration  of,  85,  101,  105. 

Karo  Corn  Syrup,  illustration  of,  57. 

Key,  in  identifying  returned  form  letters,  229;  as  a  part  of  obser- 
vation, 148. 

Korn  Krisp,  "it  fills  the  bill,"  212. 

276 


INDEX 


Knowing,  a  universal  aspect  of  all  mental  activities,  93. 

Ladies'  Home  Journal,  what  advertisers  stay  in  it,  lyojf. 

Large  space,  see  Space. 

Learning,  the  age-limit  for,  128. 

Liebig  Company,  advertisement  of  extract  of  beef,  206. 

Local  news,  228$". 

Magazines,  held  in  high  repute,  215;   methods  of  reading,  145 jf., 

reading  the  advertising  pages  in,  134. 
Malt  Marrow,  advertisement  of,  weakened  by  make-up  of  medium, 

213,  214. 

Manager,  advertising,  the  duty  of,  117,  186. 
Marconi,  152 
Medium,  the  suggestive  power  of  the  reputation  of,  117;    each 

has  a  special  psychological  effect,  215. 
Memory,  Chapter  II,  7  jf. ;  application  of  principles  of  improving,  to 

advertising,  11-21 ;  fading  of,  8;  principles  of  improving,  9-11. 
Method,  questionnaire,  226$".;  of  purchasing  foods,  203;   trial  and 

error,  147. 
Mind,  to  influence,  the  common  object,  2;    action  of,  must  be 

known  by  advertiser,  4;  feelings  and,  24;  habits  of,  128$". 
Minneapolis,  report  of,  164. 
Modern  Eloquence,  illustration  of,  in. 
Moral,  Sense  of  reader,  76;   sense  in  advertiser  begets  confidence, 

130;  tone  of  a  paper,  228. 
Morse,  Lyman  D.,  advertising  agency,  175. 
Mortality  Rate  of  advertisers,  Chapter  XIII. 
Motives,  effective,  in  leading  persons  to  answer  advertisements, 

i2ijf.;  in  leading  persons  to  subscribe  for  papers,  227. 
Music,  news  concerning,  228. 
Nabisco,    represented   as   particularly   worthy,    101;     given   an 

atmosphere  of  delicacy,  195  Jf. 
Names,  list  of,  228,  230. 
Newspapers,  investigation  upon,  226$".;  held  in  high  repute,  215; 

special  preferences  for,  233,  234. 
New  York  Central  Railroad,  175. 
Objectionable  advertisements,  50,  117. 
Observation,  a  process  in  progressive  thinking,  i47jf.;  an  instance 

of,  i54l- 
Orientation,  37;  the  value  of  the  line  of,  151. 

277 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 

Originality,  the  need  of,  152;  memory  and,  20. 

Packer's  Tar  Soap,  illustration  of,  165. 

Patent  medicines,  excluded,  245. 

Pears'  Soap,  illustration  of,  114,  133,  173. 

Persistency,  in  advertising,  133. 

Persuasion,  see  Reasoning. 

Plasticity,  of  the  brain  in  the  formation  of  habits,  1 28. 

Pleasure  and  Pain:  then*  effects  upon  body  and  mind,  23,  24; 
fundamental  importance  of  customer's,  36. 

Politics,  228/. 

Pompeian  Massage  Cream,  illustration  of,  15. 

Position  of  advertisements  in  magazine,  14. 

Posters,  have  great  attention  value,  215. 

Postum  Cereal,  illustration  of,  124. 

Preferred,  newspapers,  231$". 

Premium,  as  inducement  to  new  subscribers,  228$". 

Printer's  Ink,  2,  4. 

Prize,  see  Premium. 

Professional  men,  investigation  upon,  22yjf. 

Profitableness  of  large  and  small  space,  isojf. 

Progressive  thinking,  the  laws  of,  Chapter  XI,  i47jf.;  mental 
processes  involved  in,  148$". 

Proportion,  see  Symmetry. 

Psychology,  and  the  advertising  world,  2-6;  its  value  as  the 
scientific  basis  of  advertising,  215 /.;  modern  psychology, 
226;  psychological  question,  228;  psychological  effect  of 
street  railway  advertising,  215^". 

Publicity,  2. 

Purity,  as" an  effective  conception  in  advertising,  122. 

Quality,  of  goods  as  influencing  choice  of  medium,  215;  of  adver- 
tisement more  important  than  quantity,  176. 

Quarter-page  advertisements,  162$". 

Questionnaire,  method  of,  220$". 

Rates,  factors  effecting,  244^. 

Reading,  advertisements,  134^".;  habit  of  haste  in,  146;  maga- 
zines, 1 60. 

Reasoning,  in  advertising  copy,  83,  85,  91,  115;  appealed  to  by 
booklets  and  circulars,  215;  as  a  factor  in  decisions,  106;  not 
universal,  82. 

278 


INDEX 


Recognition,  of  advertisements,  167. 

Reflex  response,  147. 

Regal  shoes,  illustration  of,  74. 

Reliability,  as  an  effective  conception  in  advertising,  122;   of  the 

advertiser,  130;  of  prime  importance  in  creating  interest,  155. 
Religious  nature,  see  Moral  Sense. 
Renaissance,  10. 
Research,  see  Investigation. 
Respondents,  226. 

Rhymes  and  alliterations  in  advertising,  15. 
Romance,  stories  of,  228. 
Sales  department,  consulting  the,  148. 
Santa  Fe  Railroad,  illustration  of,  41. 
Scan  a  large  number  of  papers  daily,  230$". 
Science,  function  of,  152,  226. 
Sense  organs.  58. 

Sentiment,  its  place  in  the  choice  of  foods,  i88Jf. 
Signs,  painted,  admit  of  extensive  display,  catch  attention,  215. 
Silliman,  Professor,  quotation  from,  60. 
Small  space,  see  Space. 
Society,  the  better  class  of,  227;    different  classes  of,  215,  228; 

news  of,  228. 
Space,  attention  value  of  large  and  small,  Chapter  XII,  i57jf.; 

desirable,  in  periodicals,  14,  33;    efficiency  of  large,   i7ijf.; 

inefficiency  of  small,  162;  an  important  element,  176. 
Special  articles,  228. 
Sport,  news  upon,  228$". 
Storiettes,  228. 
Street  car,   cards,    227;    valuable. for   their  suggestiveness,   85; 

examples  of,  88. 
Street  railway  advertising,  as  affected  by  the   factor   of    time, 

2i8/f.;    number  of  passengers  carried  in  the  cars,  200;    the 

unconscious  influence  of,  Chapter  XV. 
Style,  as  an  effective  conception  in  advertising,  122,  125. 
Subscribers,  securing  new  ones,  227^". 
Subsidiary,  certain  papers  are,  231^". 
Suggestion,  Chapter  VI,  8q/f.;  action  and,  81,  85;  in  advertising, 

83./f.;   evil  consequences  to  be  avoided,  117;   crowd  and,  82; 

as  a  factor  in  decisions,  112;  forms  of,  84$. ;   illustrations  of, 
279 


THE    PSYCHOLOGY    OF    ADVERTISING 


T. ;  meaning  of,  80;  power  of,  in  words  from  authoritative 
source,  88^.;  of  substitutes  not  desirable,  119;  susceptibility 
of  sexes  to,  87;  as  to  answer  expected,  230;  instance  of,  145; 
importance  of,  in  food  advertising,  igSJf. 

Suspicion,  as  the  cause  of  delays  in  answering  advertisements,  118. 

Symmetry  in  advertisements,  34  JT. 

Sympathy,  appeals  to  the  customer's,  Chapter  IV,  38$".;  adver- 
tisements that  secure,  4ojf.;  for  peers  and  ideals  39;  for 
sorrow  and  for  joy,  45;  rude  appeal  to,  47. 

Table  of  contents,  scanned  by  most  readers,  232. 

Taste  of  foods,  dependent  upon  appearance  of  food,  container  and 
advertisement,  etc.,  i99Jf. 

Tasting  Game,  189,  190. 

Theory  of  Advertising,  The,  quotation  from,  157. 

The  Two  Thousand,  the  group  answering  a  questionnier,  229^". 

Time,  how  much  spent  in  reading  newspapers,  218,  228,  232$".; 
in  reading  advertisements  in  magazines,  135;  secures  for- 
getfulness  of  source  of  information,  220$".;  increases  our  ap- 
preciation, 221. 

Trial  and  Error  method,  147. 

Triscuit,  illustration  of,  97,  99. 

Uneeda  Biscuit,  given  a  sentimental  value,  197 jf. 

Usefulness,  as  an  effective  conception  in  advertising,  122,  123. 

Venus  Drawing  Pencil,  illustration  of,  141. 

Vitalized  Phosphites,  illustration  of,  12. 

Volition,  see  Will. 

Waltham  Watches,  175. 

Wanted  —  Good  Neighbors,  illustration  of,  142. 

Weather  Reports,  extensively  read,  232. 

Wheatlet,  presented  by  an  unappetizing  advertisement,  201-203. 

White  Star  Coffee,  associated  with  slimy  frogs,  210;  well  adver- 
tised, 211. 

Will,  an  analysis,  Chapter  VII,  93jf.;  actions  of,  analyzed  and 
applied  to  advertising,  94^".;  and  variety  in  action,  Chapter 
VIII,  io6Jf.;  as  the  deciding  factor  in  a  choice,  109;  a  primary 
aspect  of  consciousness,  93 ;  processes  that  it  includes,  94. 

Wilson's  Outside  Venetians,  illustration  of,  140. 

Women,  interested  most  in  advertisements,  138;  susceptibility  of, 
to  suggestion,  87. 

280 


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